Instagram Threads, Meta’s X rival that now has over 400 million monthly active users, is officially launching a new feature that could redefine how its app is used: Communities. On Thursday, Meta said it’s introducing over 100 communities to the app, where users can have casual conversations around topics like basketball, television, K-pop music, books, and more.
The idea, explains Meta, is to give users dedicated spaces within the app where they can delve deeper into conversations on topics that matter to them. The communities users have joined will display on their Threads profile, and each community has its own custom “Like” emoji available to members who engage with the discussions.
While the concept, on the surface, sounds similar to X’s Communities, there are key differences between the two implementations.
X Communities also offer a dedicated space for users to connect around a shared interest, but they’re designed more like Reddit, as the communities are created and moderated by X users. Community posts are also visible to other X users, but only those who have joined the community can participate in the discussion.
Meta, meanwhile, is responsible for creating the communities on its app; it doesn’t allow users to make their own. Plus, non-members can join in community discussions.
As on X, Threads’ community posts can appear to anyone on the social network — including within the For You and Following feeds. However, only those who have joined a Threads community can access its special privileges, which today include access to a custom “Like” emoji for engaging with posts.
For instance, the emoji in the NBA Threads community is a basketball, while Book Threads users can like a post with an emoji that’s a stack of books. Soon, active community builders will get their own profile badge.
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Meta says it will also test improved ranking systems that highlight the best posts first, both within communities themselves and the For You feed more broadly.
The way Threads communities integrate with other parts of the app is somewhat different from X, too.
On Threads (as on X), when users join a community, others will see …