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Instagram spinoff Threads recently rolled out advanced keyword search functionality to users across the globe. The Meta-owned social media app started testing it in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year before bringing it in all supported languages to other regions where Threads is available.
Keyword search has been inthe list of highly requested Threads features. It populates content from other users and creators based on the keywords you type. However, one thing it doesn’t do as of now is display posts in chronological order.
“Can search results on Threads appear chronologically?,” a user asked Instagram head Adam Mosseri during his weekly ask-me-anything on Instagram. In his response, Mosseri cautioned that having search results in chronological order could make it easier for bad actors to abuse the platform and bombard it with spam content.
I got LIT up on Threads over this over the weekend. So, I want to clarify. My concern is if you have a chronological and comprehensive search. So, every single Thread in chronological order that has a specific word or tag in it, for instance.
That is an opportunity for abuse for bad actors, spammers, or otherwise. So, if something happens in the world they can pummel that search result page by adding the right word with their spam links or whatever else it is.
So, we have to either consider just eating that risk or ranking that purely chronologically or showing results in chronological order but not including every single post which can then lead to accusations of censorship. So, it’s just not as straightforward as people like to make it out be, but we are definitely exploring all the options.
For reference, Threads rival platform X (formerly Twitter) lets you see search results chronologically by offering multiple tabs. When browsing results for a specific keyword, you can go to the “Latest” tab to display results in chronological order.
In recent news, users finally got an option to delete their Threads profile without deleting their Instagram. The app is reportedly gearing up for a launch in the EU this month, however, its initial version is expected to be read-only.
