Earlier reports indicated that Threads is developing a Trending feature, allowing users to discover posts on the most talked-about topics on the platform. While the feature is still awaiting a widespread release, Threads is now introducing the Trending feature to users in the US.
Instagram’s CEO Adam Mosseri (via 9to5Mac) shared that the Trending feature on Threads helps users discover “timely topics people are talking about.” Mosseri explained that these hot topics can be found in the Search tab and the For You feed. He added that the topics are chosen by AI, which analyzes user engagement on the platform.
However, the topics chosen by the AI will undergo human review, which seems like a wise move, particularly with elections on the horizon. Mosseri mentioned on his personal profile:
Our content specialists will review the topics selected by our AI systems to make sure they’re not duplicative or confusing, but by and large, we want them to accurately represent what is actually topical on Threads. Political trends will be eligible.
However, this approach seems to contradict Meta’s recent declaration. Just a few days ago, Mosseri made it clear that both Instagram and Threads are putting the brakes on recommending political content to users. He mentioned that Meta’s new stance is not to “proactively amplify political content from accounts that you don’t follow.”
So, while Meta restricts directly recommending unfollowed political content, the Trending feature, fueled by user engagement, could still elevate political discussions organically, which creates a potential contradiction.
Currently, the Trending feature is rolling out to a select group of users based in the US. Instagram’s CEO mentioned that the platform aims to “learn from this test and iterate over time” before extending the feature to more regions and languages.
