Threads’ UX on all the users I’ve never followed

Why are they showing up on my feed?

An opinion piece

A feeling of initial data overload

If a social app was a room in my apartment, my Threads’ room would be my living room invaded by hundreds of unknown influencers and users.

All of a sudden, they showed up in my flat because I answered the door by signing up to Threads. They all want me to follow their agenda, like their posts, and repost whatever it is. Food, cats, traffic alerts, politics, weather phenomena.

Mega-brands appear, subtly cloaked as members of the tribe, but not exactly.

Wimbledon, for instance, is showing up on my Threads. I’m now reading about the intricacies of the Wimbledon tennis courts. I’ve never followed any tennis threads, but now, I’m made a tennis connoisseur and thus admiring the stories of all the stars of the Wimbledon court.

Or, it might be Threads’ algorithm feeding me unlimited themes and daily trends to entice me to like new things.

It’s confusing. It adds more media chaos in my already busy day. I scroll intuitively to find anything that makes me relax and breathe with confidence.

I sense that Threads was built to satisfy users’ urge for scrolling.

Scrolling up and down on Threads is a never-ending activity. It feels a lot like hand therapy. It is probably the most unhealthy habit we will develop and our hands and fingers will really hurt beyond the usual carpal tunnel syndrome.

{Note to UX: Test user behavior for hand/eye repetitive and addictive device interactions.}

Good things on Threads

I like reading news from my IG friends posting images and informative text

Although Threads is built for sharing text updates and joining public conversations, I feel that the most interesting posts on Threads are made by my friends who drive their posts with succinct pictures and announcements.

My artist friend posted pictures of her recent works, time and date of her shows, and a live link to the venue. It’s interesting…