Meta trying to get Threads engagement bait ‘under control’

Meta has acknowledged the increase in engagement bait material on its text-based social media app Threads.

Threads was launched in July 2023 to rival Elon Musk’s platform X. It has proved a popular alternative, with the app gaining more than 175 million users in its first year.

However, it hasn’t been free of problems. Recently more and more users have been complaining about engagement bait content on the app.

Like most social media nowadays, Threads reverts to a “for you” feed page. Unlike the traditional chronological timelines that used to be common, content is organised by an algorithm.

Popular posts are shown more frequently on users’ “for you” feeds, even if it is content they are not usually interested in. These engagement bait posts usually aim to make users feel a strong emotion so they reply to the post. Others ask questions so users reply with an answer.

Peter Kafka was one Threads user who drew attention to this issue. In this engagement bait post, an account was mad about an AI-generated image of an old woman wearing a skirt. Users swarmed to the replies, causing Threads’ algorithm to believe the post was meaningful.

Kafka later wrote: “Last month [Meta CEO Mark] Zuck explicitly said he believes more comments = better content.”

What did Meta say about engagement bait?

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri responded to Kafka on Monday (Oct. 7): “Not all comments or replies are good. Mark’s comment is more about Twitter pioneering a format where the reply can be elevated, which is a good thing, but that doesn’t mean that every reply should be.

“We’ve seen an increase in engagement-bait on Threads and we’re working to get it under control. More to come.”

However, he did not explain exactly what Meta was doing to prevent it.

Threads’ competitor, X, has also been susceptible to this issue. The app’s owner Elon Musk announced earlier this month that text formatting like bold and italics would be removed from timelines. “They are being abused for engagement farming,” he said.

Feature image credit: Pexels

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