Stop Feature Creep!

Not every app has to be all the apps. Threads, Meta’s new social media app, launched 2 days ago as of this writing and it’s nice. Simple, clean, and fun. Threads is bare bones compared to social media apps I’m used to. No hashtags, DMs, trending topics, or polls and I don’t miss any of it. In a way the simplicity is what makes Threads enjoyable. I remember when that sentence applied to Instagram. Now Instagram is TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, Youtube, and god knows what else all at once. I don’t think it needed to be any of those other things because Instagram was pretty good as Instagram. Still these features were added likely in an attempt to claw back users that were in exodus. It worked out for Instagram I think. Snapchat definitely fell off at least in part due to Instagram adding similar features. That’s beside the point though. What I’m thinking now is: what’s next for Threads?

I can see a future where the simple “he he ha ha” nature that Threads has going for it turns to mush as they add feature after feature to the app. Much like how Twitter eroded it’s appeal with longer Tweets, Spaces, Fleets (remember that? The ol’ Twitter Snapchat story?) et cetera. Threads could easily go down a similar path. As advertisers come in Threads will need to chip away at what makes their direct competitors “better” so they can sell those sweet sweet ad spaces. Hindsight will be useful, I don’t expect Threads to implement Twitters “only used for crypto scams and MLM” spaces feature for instance. Still I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to jumpstart Facebook live streaming by implementing a “live” feature via Threads like Twitter and TikTok. I don’t really want more features for Threads though. I like what it is already: simple, interesting, unobtrusive. It hasn’t tried to get me to do the “new thing” yet because there aren’t any new things. I’m afraid that if Threads added audio posts or something they’d go straight to the Instagram new feature playbook. ie: encourage users to engage with the new feature by punishing users who don’t. Then I’ll have to decide between do what I want and not be seen by my friends, or do the new thing. I hate that feeling even if the new feature is good.

Feature creep, especially the way it’s implemented in the modern “attention economy” slowly sours my enjoyment of these apps. I don’t fault the platforms either. Of course they have to implement new features, especially competitive ones. They’re a business after all (yay capitalism. ::insert eye roll::) Still, I want to enjoy things and I’d bet any platform would be willing to sacrifice that enjoyment for even the smallest crumb of future relevance. I hope Threads stays an awkward, kind of wonky, but ultimately fun app. Maybe it’d be okay to let Threads be Threads, embrace the niche and stop trying to be the most relevant “everything app.” Or just do what profit driven platforms always do and we’ll just make fun of Threads from the new app in a few years.

Feel free to check out my silly jokes: threads.net/@thatluckybear