Meta's Threads Adds Disappearing Posts For 'Unfiltered' Thoughts
Meta has had success with ephemeral posts in the past. Stories, an idea it copied from Snap and implemented into Instagram, has become one of most popular features across all Meta's apps.
Threads, the X competitor from Meta Platforms Inc., is launching disappearing posts to encourage more people to share “unfiltered thoughts” on the network without fear that they’ll exist forever on a user’s profile.
Ghost posts, as they’re called, will show up alongside regular ones in the main feed, but will vanish after 24 hours, similar to the popular Stories feature inside Meta’s other apps, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Replies sent to a ghost post will be sent as a private message instead of a public comment.
The new feature is meant to encourage people to “share unfiltered thoughts and fresh takes without the pressure of permanence or polish,” the company said in a blog post on Monday.
Meta has had success with ephemeral posts in the past. Stories, an idea it copied from Snap Inc. and implemented into Instagram in 2016, has become one of the most popular features across all of Meta’s apps.
Instagram Head Adam Mosseri told Bloomberg last month that the most popular way for people to share on Instagram is through disappearing Stories, or in private messages — two areas where Threads is also focusing. These more private or fleeting ways to share have become popular over time as people have grown fatigued with posting to a public feed.
