Threads is making changes to the way its algorithm works, fixing its For You feed to ensure more content from the people you follow appears. This change is likely due to the recent rise in interest in Bluesky, which is, like Threads, one of the viable alternatives to X (Twitter).
Threads Starts Prioritizing People You Follow
Since launch, Meta’s Twitter alternative Threads has offered users two feeds. One (Following) is limited to content from the people you follow, while the other (For You) is a mix of posts from people you follow and random content the algorithm thinks you’ll like.
However, as Threads defaults to the algorithm-based For You feed, users have voiced their frustrations. Especially those who miss the early days of Twitter when posts from people you followed were presented in reverse chronological order.
Now, Threads is changing its algorithm to make sure the For You feed is living up to people’s expectations.
In a post on Threads (as embedded above), Threads boss Adam Mosseri stated that Threads will be “rebalancing ranking to prioritize content from people you follow, which will mean less recommended content from accounts you don’t follow and more posts from the accounts you do.”
He goes on to warn creators that they “should see unconnected reach go down and connected reach go up.” With Threads obviously hoping that the latter will balance out the former, as if it doesn’t, creators could start complaining about a lack of visibility and growth.
Threads Is Aware That Bluesky Is On the Rise
While Mosseri’s post implies that this change is being made due to user feedback, that seems unlikely after all this time. What’s more likely is Threads is making changes to try and combat the recent rise in popularity of Bluesky, which anyone can now join without an invite.
While Threads is currently much bigger than Bluesky (275 million users plays 20 million), Bluesky is having a moment. Since the US Presidential Election, a lot of users are leaving X for pastures new, and millions are choosing Bluesky over Threads.
Whether Bluesky can continue its momentum remains to be seen. However, Similarweb claims that Bluesky is achieving a similar number of daily active users as Threads, even with a tenth of the number of users. Which is putting the pressure on Threads to change things up a little, starting with custom feeds, and now a major algorithm change.
