Meta has rolled out a new feature called ‘Communities’ on its Threads platform, designed to bring users together around shared interests. The feature (currently being tested globally on both web and mobile devices) allows people to join dedicated spaces focused on specific topics. With Communities, the social media behemoth aims to improve user interaction on Threads while positioning the platform as a more organized alternative to other similar social media networks, including Musk-owned X (which has offered the Communities feature since September 2021).
Notably, ‘Communities’ function as public spaces where users can discuss everything from sports and TV shows to K-pop and books. Each community provides a focused environment that encourages users to share posts, comment on discussions, and explore content relevant to the topic. The feature builds on Threadsâ existing tools, like topic tags and custom feeds.
When users join a community, their membership is displayed on their profile, making it easy for others to see their interests. Posts from the community are also pinned to the userâs feed menu for easy access. Each community comes with a unique ‘Like’ emoji that represents the topic.
Users can discover communities either by searching for them directly or by tapping on topic tags in posts. At launch, the platform offers over 100 communities, with plans to expand this number in the near future. Even the social media giant is also planning additional updates to make Communities even more engaging. Upcoming features include special badges for standout contributors, improved ranking of posts within communities and the ‘For You’ feed, and more.
Amid rising competition, particularly from Musk-owned X, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company is continuously adding new features to Threads. For example, the company is reportedly testing a long-form text feature on the platform. Additionally, it recently introduced a private messaging (DM) feature to Threads, aiming to differentiate it from Instagram. Mark Zuckerberg recently noted that time spent on Threads has gone up by 35%. Additionally, the platform reached over 350 million monthly active users in April 2025.
However, despite its rapid growth, Threads has faced its own challenges. The platform has faced criticism for collecting a lot of sensitive user data, which raised privacy concerns. It was initially blocked in the European Union due to regulatory issues, but was later launched there in December 2023 after Meta made the necessary adjustments. In April 2024, Threads was temporarily shut down in Turkey to comply with a court order that restricted data sharing between Threads and Instagram.
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