Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that Threads, the company’s answer to X, is making strides to enhance user experience by testing custom feeds tailored to specific topics and profiles. The move aims to help users easily find communities and conversations that align with their interests. This announcement comes at a time when Bluesky, another social networking rival to X, is gaining traction with features that empower people to personalize their online experience. Bluesky allows users to create their own algorithms, customize feeds, and establish moderation rules, which has made it increasingly popular.
Bluesky’s growth has accelerated notably following the U.S. presidential election. X, under Elon Musk’s leadership, took on a more right-wing focus with Musk actively promoting Trump on the platform. This shift prompted many left-leaning users to jump ship to Bluesky, resulting in a staggering increase from 700,000 to 1 million new users in a single day.
In response to Bluesky’s rapid growth, Threads seeks to meet user demand for more personal and customizable experiences. While Threads initially defaults to a “For You” algorithmic feed, the new feature will let users craft feeds centered around specific topics or individuals they follow.
Creating a custom feed on Threads involves searching for a topic, tapping into it to view the latest posts, and then selecting the option to “create new feed” via a three-dot icon. Alternatively, users can curate their feeds by adding profiles from individual user pages through a simple tap on a similar icon.
Currently, the custom feeds feature is not universally available as it’s still in the testing phase. Those included in the test can access their custom feeds by refreshing the home screen, which will then display the usual Following and For You feeds, in addition to any new custom feeds that users create themselves.
Despite custom feeds being a popular request, they remain somewhat hidden in the user interface, adding to existing frustrations. It seems that many users weren’t aware of the Following feed option, as evidenced by complaints about outdated content shown in the For You feed during the election night. This oversight perhaps points to a need for a more intuitive user interface that simplifies the discovery and navigation of feed options.
Whether Threads’ new custom feeds will effectively draw users away from Bluesky remains in question. Nevertheless, Threads continues to hold a significant position in the social networking landscape, boasting over 275 million monthly active users, including an impressive 15 million new sign-ups in November alone.
