The ongoing speculation about whether Instagram’s Threads will include direct messaging has been a hot topic. Recent comments from Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram and Threads, seem to confirm that while DMs may not be part of Threads, the story isn’t as clear cut as it seems.
In a Threads post responding to Platformer’s Casey Newton, Mosseri mentioned that the reason for his reluctance to integrate DMs into Threads is because he believes that Instagram’s messaging service might be more suitable for Threads. Since Threads is built on top of the Instagram app and is already closely connected to Instagram in various ways, Mosseri has been hinting for a while that he sees Instagram’s DMs as the primary platform for private chat.
In the post, Mosseri expressed his hope that the team can make the Instagram inbox work within Threads, acknowledging that there is still much work to be done in this regard. The potential vision for this integration includes the ability to message anyone on either platform, as the Threads and Instagram accounts are closely linked. Furthermore, the synchronization of inboxes between the two apps is seen as an achievable goal, given the shared infrastructure between Instagram and Threads. For example, users can already share a Threads post via Instagram DMs without leaving the Threads app.
Despite this potential, Mosseri did highlight some challenges associated with this decision, such as managing notifications and setting cross-app controls and filters. Furthermore, the decision to utilize Instagram’s inbox in Threads raises questions about Threads’ plans to support ActivityPub and integrate with other apps like Mastodon. Additionally, Meta’s push towards making all its messaging apps interoperable could have fundamental implications for the way Threads, Instagram, and other Meta-owned platforms interact.
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In considering the potential option of not integrating Instagram’s inbox into Threads, Mosseri mentioned that the team may opt to mirror the inbox and require users to address notification issues themselves, or to create a completely separate inbox within Threads. Neither option seems ideal, but building a new messaging system into Threads appears to be Mosseri’s least preferred alternative.
Despite the uncertainty, it appears likely that private messaging will eventually be incorporated into Threads, as it is a highly sought-after feature and a logical addition to the platform. However, the specifics of when this will happen and what it will look like remain unclear. For now, it seems that the prevailing expectation is that the incorporation of private messaging on Threads will closely resemble the functionality of Instagram.
In conclusion, while the fate of direct messaging on Threads remains uncertain, the comments and insights from Adam Mosseri suggest that integration with Instagram’s messaging service is a potential avenue. However, the associated challenges and broader implications for Meta-owned platforms raise important questions that will need to be addressed before any final decision is made.
