Threads takes on X with new communities feature | TechCrunch
Key Takeaways
- Instagram Threads is launching a new 'Communities' feature to host dedicated, topic-based discussions.
- Meta is creating and moderating the initial 100+ communities, unlike X's user-moderated model.
- Community members receive special privileges, including custom 'Like' emojis specific to the group.
- Community posts can appear in anyone's feed, but only members can fully engage with special features.
- The feature formalizes existing user behavior around Topic Tags, potentially increasing user traction.
Instagram Threads, which boasts over 400 million monthly active users, is rolling out a significant new feature called 'Communities' to foster deeper, topic-based conversations. Meta is launching with over 100 communities covering diverse interests, explaining that these dedicated spaces allow users to delve into subjects that matter to them, with community membership displayed on user profiles. A key distinction from X's Communities is that Meta creates and manages these groups, and non-members can participate in discussions, whereas X's are user-created and moderated like Reddit. Members gain special engagement perks, such as custom 'Like' emojis specific to the community, like a basketball for the NBA group. Furthermore, Threads is testing improved ranking systems to highlight top posts, and community association is automatically added to user profiles, a feature Meta intends to keep visible to instantly signal user interests. This move mirrors how Threads formalized user-driven Topic Tags into official features, a strategy that could significantly boost user engagement and help Threads continue closing the gap with X in daily active users.
