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Meta has started to promote Threads posts on Facebook feeds. The move comes after Threads’ daily active users plummeted and users lost interest in the platform. Meta hopes to boost Threads engagement by enabling users to share their posts from Threads to Facebook feed.
According to the company’s announcement, a new feature, dubbed “For you on Threads,” now appears on the Facebook feed that contains popular Threads posts. Yet, Meta automatically recommends the posts that appear in this box, and users can’t share their Threads directly to the feed.
Meta still needs to clarify how it recommends Threads posts. On the other hand, privacy experts have expressed worries about how the feature may affect user privacy. Allowing users to cross-post their content to Facebook might expose it to a broader audience, as Threads is built for sharing stuff with a limited circle of friends.
Meta promotes Threads posts on Facebook to increase their visibility
In response to a user asking how to keep Threads posts off of Facebook, Meta said, “We’ve launched an update to make it easier for people to see the latest content from Threads directly on Facebook and Instagram.” The platform later added they’re “listening to feedback” and continue adjusting the feature.
It’s not surprising to see Meta is using its other platforms like Facebook and Instagram to promote Threads. Meta used this growth-hacking tactic when it first launched Instagram Reels by promoting them on Facebook’s feed.
The company also started promoting Threads posts on Instagram in August. But the difference is cross-posting Threads posts to Facebook feeds isn’t optional, and users can’t opt out. The platform might add an opt-out feature in the future. Some users now complain they don’t want their Threads posts to be shown on Facebook feed.
Threads currently has over 130 million users. After months of stagnation, the reports show its downloads in app stores are again stacking up. However, the app is generally dealing with a massive usage decline. A report by SimilarWeb revealed September Threads usage on Android was down 40% from where it was in July.