Threads Taking on X With Trending Topics Feature: What to Expect

Instagram's Threads is about to unveil Trends, a much-anticipated feature, to compete with X (formerly Twitter), as the social media platform wants to attract and engage people with new services to improve its online presence.

A Threads user who unintentionally saw a screenshot that a Threads staff member had posted over the weekend discovered the new Trends feature. In the snapshot, popular topics were numbered and their "threads," or active debates, were shown, according to a TechCrunch report.

User Willian Max believes the screenshot was intended for Meta's employee network. Reports from 9to5Mac and Mashable said this Threads feature would be launched sooner or later.

A Bold Move

Unlike X (formerly Twitter), Threads Trends feature does not appear to include supplementary trending lists by themes like news, sports, and entertainment or customized "For You" trends.

However, this Threads trending topics feature is seen as vital for the social media platform in its battle with its rival X. Instagram-managed Threads exploit Elon Musk's X's constant changes and interruptions to attract users. Mastodon, Bluesky, Pebble, and Spill are also challenging X's social media dominance.

Meta keeps launching new Threads features despite a reduction in active users. Some power users are unhappy with Elon Musk's constant changes to X and considering moving to Threads.

Threads Struggle to Maintain Momentum

After launching with 100 million sign-ups in five days, Threads saw a drop. Elon Musk has said Mark Zuckerberg "committed the cardinal sin" of boring platforms.

Threads struggled to maintain momentum after over 100 million sign-ups in its first week. SimilarWeb estimates that daily active Android users on Threads peaked at 49.3 million on July 7 and dropped to 10.3 million a month later on August 7. SimilarWeb data shows that even Threads users are spending less time on the platform. While X remains popular, boasting 21 million active users in the US during the first half of September (slightly down from 22 million in July), per Benzinga.

In August, Meta announced the release of a desktop version of Threads. Originally, Threads was exclusively accessible via smartphone apps when it was launched.

Meta has been adding web browser functionality to Threads in recent weeks. Meta will struggle to rekindle user enthusiasm and provide interesting content, according to analysts. Threads' falling user engagement shows the difficulty firms face when releasing a barely viable product in hopes of increasing user engagement with subsequent upgrades.

Meta's commitment to Threads' long-term viability is questioned as it expands its features. Daniel Ives, a senior equity research analyst at Wedbush Securities, believes Meta must completely commit to Threads. "They can't just have one toe in the water. They have to dive into the deep end of the pool," he commented, as quoted by Washington Post.