Instagram’s dedicated text-sharing app, Threads, is set to introduce many new features, including Twitter-style hashtags, an edit button, a trending page, and possibly even an automatic archiving function. Instagram’s Head, Adam Mosseri, confirmed these upcoming features in a series of posts on Threads.
Threads, built by the Instagram team, offers a platform for sharing text updates and engaging in public conversations.
The app allows users to log in with their Instagram accounts, post updates with a 500-character limit, and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length.
One major addition is the inclusion of hashtags. Just like on Twitter, the hashtags used in Threads will become clickable, making it easier for users to explore topics of interest and join trending conversations. This feature could potentially enhance the platform’s discoverability and community engagement.
Mosseri also hinted at a potential auto-archiving feature in response to a user. “We’re thinking we might auto-archive everything after 30 days so people can be a bit more open, what do you think?” he asked the user base.
If implemented, this feature could encourage more candid conversations by providing users with a measure of privacy.
Moreover, Mosseri revealed plans to make Threads compatible with ActivityPub, an open social networking protocol established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which oversees the open standards underpinning the modern web. This move could open up new opportunities for interaction by making Threads interoperable with other apps that support ActivityPub, such as Mastodon and WordPress.
Other platforms, including Tumblr, have announced plans to support the ActivityPub protocol in the future.
These updates promise to enhance the user experience on Threads and pave the way for a more interconnected and interactive social media landscape.