Meta is trying out a new feature on Threads that’ll let users see what conversations are hot on the platform. Mark Zuckerberg mentioned in a post on Threads that the app has started testing “today’s top topics” in the United States.
The feature will show “timely topics that others are discussing” and will pop up in search and in between posts in the app’s For You feed, Meta says. Instagram head Adam Mosseri mentioned that specific trends will be “determined by our AI systems based on what people are engaging with right now on Threads,”
It’s worth noting that Threads will highlight trends related to politics and elections. Last week, the company announced it would stop suggesting political content in its recommendations unless users opt-in. However, Meta has confirmed that this restriction won’t apply to its trending feature.
“Political content can be a topic,” a Meta spokesperson told Engadget. “We will only remove political topics if they violate our Community Guidelines or other applicable integrity policies.”
While AI will play a big role in deciding what gets highlighted, it seems like Meta will also do some curation of what shows up as a “top topic.” A team of “content specialists” will “ensure that topics do not violate our Community Guidelines or other applicable integrity guidelines, and that topics are not duplicative, nonsensical, or misleading,” a Meta spokesperson explained.
Right now, “today’s top topics” is just a “small test,” but Zuckerberg mentioned that the feature will roll out in more countries and languages “once we get it tuned up.”
Besides, Meta won’t be suggesting political content to users on Instagram or Threads anymore, as per Instagram head Adam Mosseri. He mentioned that users will still come across political content from accounts they follow, but the apps won’t be “actively boosting” these posts anymore.
The change, which will be happening “over the next few weeks,” will affect public accounts in areas where Meta’s recommendation algorithms suggest content or posts, like Instagram’s Reels and Explore, and suggested users on Threads. Mosseri didn’t go into detail about how Meta will decide what’s considered “political,” but a Meta spokesperson mentioned it would cover election-related topics and social issues.