PSA: Your Threads Posts Could be Shown to Connections on Facebook and Instagram as Well

This is probably worth noting for all of those logging into Threads more often, and engaging in conversations in the app. Your Threads posts could be shown to your connections on Facebook and IG, as part of Meta’s cross-promotion efforts for the app.

As you can see in this image, posted by Brenden Wood (and shared by social media expert Matt Navarra), Meta’s latest Threads amplification strategy sees it using its Big Blue app to boost awareness of Threads posts and profiles.

Which makes sense, as it looks to increase engagement in the app, which had reportedly been flagging in recent weeks. But it may also see your Threads updates re-shared to your Facebook friends, which you may or may not like.

Meta’s also got a similar Instagram promotion module for Threads, with a side-scrolling feed of Threads updates appearing between posts.

So, your Threads could also show up there, though that linkage was likely more obvious, considering you need to have an Instagram account to sign up to Threads.

The Facebook connection could be less clear, but this is your warning: Whatever you’re posting on Threads, your grandparents, your uncles, that aunt that you never speak to but are connected on Facebook and she still likes all of your posts for some reason, they could all potentially see your witty quips and updates.

And they might follow you as well. Which might also not be ideal, considering that many users have very different networks on Facebook and other apps.

Which is also where Threads needs to separate, in terms of how it uses your activity data to fuel its algorithm.

People don’t want the same content on Threads that they do on IG, and definitely not Facebook. If Meta’s using all of the signals from its other apps to recommend you posts on Threads, its algorithm is likely going to fail it to some degree, but I would imagine that, over time, as it gains more insight into Threads-specific behaviors, it’ll be better able to separate each.

But that’s an aside, the main point here is that Threads posts are being displayed in Meta’s other apps, which could be something to keep in mind when posting.

I suspect that Threads will add an easy opt-out for this shortly.