Adam Mosseri says Threads will not “encourage” politics and “hard news” as such content brings scrutiny that isn't worth the “incremental engagement or revenue”

/ Adam Mosseri ran Facebook's News Feed in 2016, and now he tells Alex Heath that politics …

The Verge 2023-07-08 Jay Peters

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@epro.social Emil Protalinski on bluesky
good luck with that [embedded post]
@howelloneill.bsky.social Patrick Howell O'Neill on bluesky
If the plain English translation of this = Threads current brand hellscape is the intended end state, count me out. But honestly, I feel like I have almost no idea what this actually means in terms of how Threads ends up. [embedded post]
@josephpolitano @josephpolitano on x
The Meta team is low-key roasting politics Twitter over on the other app [image]
@ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald on x
Corporate media's relentless censorship demands have made Big Tech companies conclude that it's not worth the misery, cost and accusations to host news reporting political discourse online. They destroyed one of the primary promises of the early internet. https://twitter.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Threads boss @mosseri posted that it won't “encourage” hard news or politics, which is in keeping with Meta's shift in recent years. Twitter could really lean into that as a defense shield, but it's complicated by Elon's antipathy toward the news media.
@adamsinger Adam Singer on x
You will not post about politics or news. That's badspeak. Also being angry is not tolerated (why do they think we're angry?). Basically just talk about things our advertisers want to run ads against, it helps our revenue [image]
@rafat @rafat on x
Someone had to do this. Some brilliant one liners in here. Verdict: Threads is garbage: https://open.substack.com/...
@davidclinchnews David Clinch on x
This is an unfortunate decision IMHO. I understand the reluctance to jump into politics, but there is a safe and curated way to do authoritative news on Threads, for at least the few top stories of the day. https://twitter.com/...
@asteris Asteris Masouras on x
Meta doubling down on driving journalism off its products isn't a good thing, folks. It's practically an invitation to escalate disinfo. (And their logo for Threads looking like Ebola will never not look creepy.) https://twitter.com/...
@saksithcna @saksithcna on x
This is pretty shortsighted. Underreported and underrepresented issues and parts of the world will always seek out new avenues and platforms in order to be heard. That's what the “public square” is for, too. It happened before and can happen again. https://twitter.com/...
@om @om on x
@alex When celebrities and influencers drop their “news” it will be important and relevant for “journalists”
@edzitron Ed Zitron on x
We are like 2 weeks from Threads banning a reporter, they've already censored Mehdi Hassan's video on RFK Jr., This network is going to be entirely meme accounts tweeting “food is soo good when hungry” and media accounts posting their stories for 30 clicks a piece [image]
@thestalwart Joe Weisenthal on x
This is disappointing. I was hoping that Instagram would build a product designed to serve one particularly aggrieved and resentful niche, rather than focus on building a big successful money making operation. https://twitter.com/...
@selviano Michael Selvidge on x
finally! a microblogging platform for Centrists! who says the world can't improve... https://twitter.com/...
@maxasteele Max Steele on x
.@broderick with another banger. On Threads: “It has no purpose. It is for no one. It launched as a content graveyard and will assuredly only become more of one over time. It's iFunny for people who miss The Ellen Show.” https://www.garbageday.email/ ... [image]
@loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x
So Threads is real-time Tumblr, but without the communities or vibes. Not promoting verticals that take advantage of text-based social media feels like something they should reconsider. Threads doesn't have to replace Twitter to facilitate conversation + encourage interaction. ht…
@parismarx Paris Marx on x
Instagram head Adam Mosseri says pretty conclusively they don't want Threads to be the new app for news and journalists. Makes sense given Meta is threatening to pull news in Canada and California. Ultimately, Threads is a sanitized space for brands, grifters, and commerce. [imag…
@jeffveillette Jeff Veillette on x
It is for the people who capture your attention on Instagram to sell you something in text form. They're going along with the “Twitter killer” talk to siphon a little more of an initial userbase, but that is the endgame here. The algorithm is the star and it's all a sales pitch h…
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
sad trombone.mp3 https://twitter.com/...
@martinsfp @martinsfp on x
That's up to the users, surely. https://twitter.com/...
@martinsfp @martinsfp on threads
Threads will be ‘for news’ if its users want that. Once it has a chronological feed, I'm not sure how you stop that. The design is better than Twitter when it comes to curbing toxicity, so it could...
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on threads
Meta is super over the news industry, given their current regulatory experience & past attempts to partner. Advertisers don't want to be next to stuff that's not feel-good either. But this is a text...
@julesterpak Jules Terpak on threads
CEO of Instagram @mosseri says that though posts related to politics and news will be shared on Threads, the platform does not necessarily encourage those verticals I feel like that messaging is...
@b_fung @b_fung on threads
This is a perfectly reasonable take for a company that learned the hard way how being an intermediary naturally leads to people constantly trying to play the ref. He isn't saying news and politics have no place here. …
@alexhcranz Alex Cranz on threads
this is totally unsurprising given how badly meta got burned when it dealt with news in the past. i don't think anyone wants a president threatening nuclear war in their platform. but i don't think...
@reporterzoe Zoe Schiffer on threads
NPR quitting Twitter was a turning point in the story. Now the news organization is on Threads.
@mosseri Adam Mosseri on threads
It would be as ignorant to pretend politics and news won't come to a platform of scale as if would be to try to accelerate them doing so.
@drewharwell Drew Harwell on threads
This is basically TikTok's philosophy: discouraging news for its negativity ("last sunny corner of the internet"). People feel nervous to talk about the news there or they use coded “algospeak,” lest...
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on threads
Surprising to hear Instagram boss not being interested in making threads a destination for news in the way Twitter has been. For me, having journalists and news media here is important if I'm ever...
@taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on threads
All these tech companies want to be seen as places for fun, light, entertaining content but that's not what users want nor is it realistic! People of all walks of life want to be informed about the...
r/technology r on reddit
Threads isn't for news and politics, says Instagram's boss — Adam Mosseri ran Facebook's News Feed in 2016, and now he tells Alex Heath that politics …
@nevillehobson.xyz Neville Hobson on bluesky
The definition of a mass social network! [embedded post]
@epro.social Emil Protalinski on bluesky
Signups for Threads, according to Mark Zuckerberg: — 2 million in two hours — 5 million in four hours — 10 million in seven hours — 30 million the morning after launch — 70 million two mornings after launch — Everyone will be watching to see if Meta starts sharing act…
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
Meta built an app that looks like a nicer Twitter, but it's not trying to replicate the Twitter graph - it's trying to build something much bigger and break out of all the reasons that made Twitter stagnate in the low hundreds of millions of users.
@ernestwilkins Ernest Wilkins on x
Naive question: What is wrong with having hundreds of millions of users? Like, why do these people talk about Twitter like it's always been some kind of Decentraland-level failure? https://twitter.com/...
@gncordova @gncordova on x
I can see Threads being “bigger.” But I definitely can't see it having as much of an impact. https://twitter.com/...
@aishacounts Aisha Counts on x
The key will be if people not on Instagram already will sign up for Threads. And if we'll be using it once the novelty wears off
@dimensionmedia David Bisset on x
In some ways i'm getting “early web 2.0” vibes - an explosion of networks and people are vocal on what they are signing/not signing up for but many open to at least trying out most. Fragmentation however has many (esp young gens) finding it harder to find that “one place”. https:…
@ttp_updates @ttp_updates on x
According to Meta, its Threads app is governed by the same Community Guidelines as Instagram. Unfortunately, enforcement seems sparse, and anti-LGBTQ hate groups are already taking advantage of the new platform 🧵
@conorsen Conor Sen on x
Don't know how long it'll take them to build out chronological (and DM's) but it's looking pretty bleak if you're hoping for a non-Zuck outcome. [image]
@oneunderscore__ Ben Collins on x
Threads makes a lot of sense when you remember what Zuck wanted the Metaverse to be: a heavily branded, inscrutable morass where you might have a fleeting, benign interaction with a celebrity who immediately tries to sell you an Apple Watch.
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
- misleads about metrics - inflates video opportunity - covers up data breach - empowers foreign interference - aids in genocide - blocks free and plural press - hides damning harms research - abuses users privacy - copies competition - launches new app. where can I download it?
@efeng Eric Feng on x
#InstagramThreads is adding a staggering ~2 million new users every hour. That may make it the fastest growing app in history. 👀📈🤯 https://www.quiverquant.com/ ... [image]
@nikitabier Nikita Bier on x
Zuck is incredibly good at throwing his weight behind something at the precise moment his products begin to lose relevancy. He never misses the next train.
@zuck Mark Zuckerberg on threads
70 million sign ups on Threads as of this morning. Way beyond our expectations. 121K likes, 22K replies.
@andymstone Andy Stone on threads
To be clear: “No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that's just not a thing.”
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on threads
70 million users in two days makes this the fastest growing app in history. The combination of a well executed, tightly focused MVP and an epic bag fumble by Mr. Musk....
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on threads
Instagram users that don't use Twitter is actually a bigger market than Twitter if you consider Instagram has 2.3 billion active users versus 400 million for Twitter. People who view Threads as a...
@zuck Mark Zuckerberg on threads
Our approach will be the same as all our other products: make the product work well first, then see if we can get it on a clear path to 1 billion people, and only then think...
@nikitabier Nikita Bier on threads
Threads acquired 50 million users in the first 24 hours—more than the entire U.S. DAU of Twitter. 337 likes, 29 replies.
@ashleymayer Ashley Mayer on x
If you think about it, Elon is the greatest PR person of all time. He has us rooting for Meta!?! Absolutely masterful, Zuck should give this man a raise, no wonder he doesn't need a team.
@seth1620 Seth LaQue on x
Incredible. Seriously, add this to Musk's list of accomplishments. https://www.wsj.com/...
@wsjtech @wsjtech on x
Elon Musk has done the once unimaginable: He has helped revive Mark Zuckerberg's Silicon Valley mojo https://www.wsj.com/...
@semil @semil on x
Really nice post by Turner here, breaks down the Zuck vs Elon product battle w/ a historical lens on engagement, graph, onboarding tactics: https://www.thespl.it/... https://twitter.com/...
@joshelman Josh Elman on x
If you write a newsletter talking about the social internet and haven't yet written all about Threads, you are too late. @benparr wrote a nice one this morning, and the best and most comprehensive take I've seen came from @TurnerNovak https://www.thespl.it/...
@bobbyfijan Bobby Fijan on x
A really good newsletter article by @TurnerNovak on the Thread growth Really interesting to see the smart ways it used Instagram and catered to creators there with existing bases I found the “Why Now?” issue also v interesting ... https://open.substack.com/...
@sarthakgh Sar Haribhakti on x
Great breakdown of the product mechanics from @TurnerNovak https://www.thespl.it/... My only quibble is I would call it a follow graph, not follower graph. Users can import list of people they follow, not people that follow them.
@shutterbugdoug @shutterbugdoug on x
@mediagazer @GarettSloane For reference, using Twitter Android app, I can barely view three screenfuls before I see yet another (usually) irrelevant ad (often crypto, investing, gaming, books, professional assoc., B2B, but sometimes takeout food in another state / timezone)
@samifathi_ Sami Fathi on x
Apple is starting to grow its presence on Threads. In the last couple of hours, Apple Music and Apple Books have created accounts. Apple News had an account created yesterday. [image]
@garettsloane Garett Sloane on x
Meta gives Threads roadmap to advertisers, but first it's working on features like DMs, trends and search. And h/t to @garyvee for his early take on Threads. Brands flooded the app on day one, and agencies are hoping content controls apply when ads come. https://adage.com/...
@wendys @wendys on threads
hey @zuck, you should go to space just to really make him mad lol
@netflix @netflix on threads
Reply with the mood you're in and i'll send you a recco 😌

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Adam Mosseri says Threads will not “encourage” politics and “hard news” as such content brings scrutiny that isn't worth the “incremental engagement or revenue”

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