Threads Expands its Hidden Words Options

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Threads continues to steadily separate from Instagram, and add more customization and control options, this time with an expansion of its “Hidden Words” settings, so that you can block unwanted discussion from your experience.

As you can see in these example screens, Threads has now added another element to its Hidden Words option, with an optional toggle to block offensive content, and/or set your own custom terms and emojis to filter out of your Threads experience.

The update is an expansion on the Hidden Words features that Threads first launched back in April.

As explained by Threads chief Adam Mosseri:

“[The update] includes newly added custom filters to block words, phrases, and emojis in batches, with optional time limits. Threads is about fostering an open exchange of perspectives, and to do so people need to be able to shape the experience into one where they feel comfortable expressing themselves. This is just one more idea in support of that goal.”

In terms of time limits, users can choose to block certain words, phrases, or emojis, and set an expiration date on that setting within 30 days. So if there’s a topic that’s really annoying you, or TV show spoilers you want to avoid, you can erase them from your view for a certain time. 

It’s a significant update, in more ways than one, because up till now, Threads has primarily relied on your IG settings for the same, using your Instagram profile as a proxy for your Threads experience. But with Threads evolving into its own platform, the Threads team is now adding more options that are separate from Instagram.

Which is a smart move. While it made sense for Meta to boost Threads take-up by integrating it with IG in its initial launch stage, the way that people now use Threads is, for most people at least, very different to what they come to Instagram for.

As such, Threads needs its own settings, and its own processes, separate from your Instagram interactions and preferences, in order to build it into its own experience.

The Threads team has already taken steps on this front, by removing Threads follow recommendations based on what you engage with on IG, while it’s also testing the option to create a Threads profile without using your Instagram login.

These are all important steps to separate the two, and enable Threads to grow into a new platform of its own. And with 350 million users, Threads should now have enough engagement insights, based on Threads activity in isolation, to have a clear understanding of engagement trends and interest graphs separate from IG.

Providing Threads-specific controls is another step in this direction, as Meta looks to build it into the next billion-user platform.

Is that even possible?

I mean, Twitter/X has never exceeded 600 million users, so it does seem like the interest in a real-time, text-based social feed like this is limited. But maybe, if Meta can get it right, it could well overtake the growth of the format’s originator at some stage.