Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced a batch of updates for Threads, the new social media platform, as part of efforts to keep its popularity rolling. According to Zuckerberg’s Threads post, users can now directly share a post to their Instagram DMs, add custom alt-text to posts, and mention any account in a post. These new features are intended to make the app more competitive in the market.
In an email to Technext, Meta said that the above features were introduced following an appeal from Instagram’s community to have them. As such, the new additions affirm the company’s devotion to improving user experience for all. Below is a breakdown of what the features entail.
The “Send on Instagram” feature means that Threads users now have the option to share a post, otherwise called a thread, to their Instagram DMs. This further solidifies Threads’ integration with Instagram. It should be noted that prospective users of Threads must create their accounts through their Instagram.
Next up is the custom alt-text for posts accompanied by either a video or photo. Instead of relying on the computer-generated alt-text, Threads users can now edit the existing alt-text for clarity and tweak it to meet their preferences.
For context, alt-text refers to the short description that comes with pictures or videos and provides readers with added information about said picture or video. Allowing users to determine what goes into the alt-text is another opportunity for users to truly feel in control.
The Profile Mention feature means users can now tag a fellow user in a post. This one is long overdue, given its popularity among social media users. Whether it’s a birthday post or a friend or an appreciation post, Threads users can now easily mention a thread account in a post.
Aside from these major additions, users can now arrange their “Following” using the parameters of default, latest first, or earliest first. The platform has also made it possible for one to see their liked post for the previous week. To catch all the posts a user has liked, they simply need to visit the settings section. Next up is moving to the profile section, tapping menu lines, and clicking “Your likes.”
Threads intends to fight for its place
Following its launch last month, Threads surpassed the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT as the fastest-growing platform. The Meta-owned app gained 100 million downloads in five days, a feat the Open AI-owned product achieved in two months.
However, it hasn’t been easy maintaining that hot streak. The site has recently struggled to maintain user engagement, with many users still wondering what exactly to do with Threads. Four weeks ago, Technext reported that the app’s volume of active users slumped by 50% to 23.6 million. As an antidote, the platform announced plans to launch a desktop version.
Although the new features rolled out are exciting, it can be argued that they’re late to the scene. Perhaps they should have been bundled with the app upon launch. Right now, it’s early to tell what amount of impact they would have on Threads, but time will tell.
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!
