Threads: The CEO is working to limit recommendations of low-quality content

Even those who haven't actively used Threads so far, thanks to its integration into the Instagram feed, will probably have noticed a change in the type of recommended posts in the last period.

You may find yourself faced with uninteresting content or standardized requests for engagement, sometimes even with harmful propaganda.

In response to a question during a video shared on Friday, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri acknowledged the circumstance and apologized for the “low-quality recommendations” on Threads, stating that the team is working to fix this issue.

This increase in low-quality content in the Threads feed it is not an isolated problem; This isn't the first time social apps have faced similar issues.

Thorny situation

Perhaps due to its rapid growth, thanks to its recent European launch, or due to its continuous system updates, it appears that Threads is currently faced with this type of problematic content.

Note that, as already mentioned, this is part of thecommon evolution of social networks, where controversial content often receives greater visibility, as it generates interactions from the public.

Meta seems to have worked on the algorithms for a long time without completely solving the problem.
During a question and answer session, the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseriacknowledged that there have been issues with low-quality recommendations on Threads recently.
This is “borderline” content that doesn't completely derail community guidelines but comes dangerously close to that threshold.

Initially, Threads appeared to suffer from an overabundance of engagement-focused posts, typical when new users try to build a following on the platform.
Recently however, the situation has taken a noticeably more negative turn with a clear increase in content inciting hatred.
Users have reported the worrying presence of such material, especially regarding openly transphobic posts.

Words to the CEO

A general picture emerges from the words of Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, regarding one of the main problems of social networks: the propensity of people to interact excessively with content sensationalistic and provocative.

If not adequately controlled, these behaviors, which are not entirely new and can also be found in traditional media such as cable news and tabloids, can on a large scale damage the quality of public debate and encourage polarization, also compromising the quality of the services offered by the platform .

Zuckerberg admitted that managing this challenge is complicated.
Even though the criteria are clear about what is and isn't allowed, when content approaches the limit, people on average tend to interact with it moreeven if they say they don't like it.

Ultimately, addressing this problem on a large scale is far from simple.
However, the Threads team is committed to improving the algorithm to favor more relevant and less controversial content, trying to balance user permanence and engagement on the platform, while trying to reduce the risk of misinformation.