Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced on Friday that the company is working on an API for Threads, its messaging platform that is seen as a rival to Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter).
The move aims to allow developers to create various apps and experiences centred around Threads. Mosseri made the announcement in response to journalist Casey Newton, who was discussing the need for a TweetDeck-like experience for Threads.
However, Mosseri expressed reservations about the potential influx of publisher content that could overshadow content from individual creators.
“We’re working on it. My concern is that it’ll mean a lot more publisher content and not much more creator content, but it still seems like something we need to get done,” said Mosseri, reports TechCrunch.
The Instagram head clarified that Threads is not “anti-news” but will not “actively amplify news.” This comes as news organizations have traditionally relied on third-party tools to automatically post content on social media platforms. The absence of APIs on newer platforms like Threads has forced publishers to manually upload content, a cumbersome process for organizations that publish multiple articles daily.
The development of an API for Threads could be a significant step in creating a healthier app ecosystem, especially when platforms like X and Reddit have made it increasingly challenging for third-party developers to create clients. While smaller networks like Bluesky and Mastodon have some third-party clients, they lack the user base that Threads has garnered.
Earlier this week, parent company Meta revealed that Threads has nearly 100 million monthly active users. While an API and third-party app ecosystem may not necessarily boost these numbers, it could offer alternative ways for users to engage with the platform. An API will allow for interesting accounts to be created to share jokes, memes, news alerts, and more content automatically.
