Why is Threads recommending these weird, spammy posts from people looking for 'friends'?

Threads users are puzzled by spammy 'friend' seeking posts, reflecting issues with the app's recommendation system.

: Threads has been facing scrutiny over bizarre and spammy posts that seem to dominate its recommendation algorithm. Many users have noticed these posts, often featuring selfies and dubious profiles claiming to wish to 'make friends', surfacing more frequently as 'related' or recommended content, despite not being relevant. Meta, the company behind Threads, acknowledges the issue of spam but has not clarified why these posts appear so prominently in users' feeds, raising concerns over their content moderation practices. This situation has been further exacerbated since the app reached over 350 million users and previously struggled with spam attacks shortly after it launched.

Threads users have been expressing confusion over an increase in unusual and spammy posts featuring individuals claiming to look for 'friends.' These posts typically involve young people's selfies and accompany profiles, often claiming an age of 18, who frequently recommend similar content to users even when seemingly unrelated. Engadget reported that posts targeting logged-out users via the 'related threads' feature seem to appear without clear relevance to more popular content they are paired with.

The app's recommendation algorithm has been under scrutiny for promoting these strange posts, which often come from accounts repeated across the platform. For instance, upon following popular user Chris Messina's post on Spotify, other unrelated spammy posts, including ones by the head of Threads, and from teens seeking friendship without age constraints, were also highlighted. The detailed analysis pointed out how users' profiles show repetitive content posting, often linking to external sites such as WhatsApp several times in a short span, demonstrating a clear sign of account misuse for spamming purposes.

Despite acknowledging spam's existence and some efforts to curb it, Threads has been entrapped in a cycle of recommendation issues that remain unaddressed by Meta, the larger company it belongs to. The significance of spam as a systemic flaw in Threads perhaps poses risks to its platform credibility, as expressed by the analysis. Meta declined specific inquiries regarding these recommendations’ prominence but mentioned that spammy posts should not be featured in users' suggested content. This lack of clarity on Meta's steps further amplifies the growing trust concerns among its user base, especially as the platform has expanded to a user count exceeding 350 million, struggling with engagement bait and spam attacks, as observed post its launch period in July 2023.

Adding layers to this complexity is the broader context that spam-like content isn't isolated to just Threads but pops up across other Meta platforms like Instagram. Reports and observations from community platforms like Reddit shed light on similar bizarre recommendation occurrences, pointing towards potential coordinated spam campaigns. Users have witnessed recommendations prompting profile views with repeated posts containing messages like "I need a bf 🎀 Age don’t mind," appearing numerous times with the identical intent across several accounts, fanning speculation of a broad spam network leveraging these platforms.

In the wider discussion space, the premise of Threads recommending inappropriate content highlights an essential conversation surrounding recommendation algorithms and how intelligent models filter content. It raises questions of accountability regarding algorithmic content curation by tech giants like Meta, forcing an examination of their strategies to balance engagement with content integrity, as the mechanics of digital communication foster both community and discontent.

Sources: Engadget, Reddit

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