A safe way go viral on Threads, the Instagram-derived social network owned by Meta with more than 200 million users—is asking a ridiculous question that infuriates your followers so much that they simply have to jump in to answer you, mock you, or berate you. When it first launched last summer, Threads was seen as a shameless Twitter clone. At the time, that was an attractive attribute, as users fleeing the chaos and toxicity of the platform now known as X looked for a new place to congregate. Threads proved to be a safe haven from the trolling and engagement bait on X, Reddit, and Facebook — but only for a while. Threads, like any for-profit social media site, couldn’t keep those pranksters and bad actors at bay. In its effort to boost engagement on the platform, Threads began prioritizing posts with the most replies and comments — which also happen to be the posts that sparked the most drama and angered everyone.
This week in Gadget LabWe spoke to Business Insider senior correspondent Katie Notopoulos about her personal experiment with dipping into Threads to draw out anger. We also questioned whether social media sites are making the right decision in catering to their angriest users.
Program Notes
Read Katie’s story about ragebait in ThreadsRead Lauren’s story about the new SocialAI app, where the only human is you and everyone else is a bot.
Recommendations
Katie recommends the reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu. Mike recommends the HBO show IndustryLauren recommends the Apple TV+ show Slow horses.
You can find Katie Notopolous on Threads @KatienotopoulosLauren Goode is on @Lauren Goode. Michael Calore is at @sandwich [email protected]. Bling the main hotline at @Gadget LabThe show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@Boone Ashworth). Our theme music is from Solar keys.
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