Threads is reportedly working on an API.
In response to a question about Meta possibly creating a TweetDeck-like experience for Threads, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri said the company is prepping an API.
“We’re working on it,” he said, as noted by Engadget. “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.”
An API would allow third-party developers to create services that connect to the platform, ultimately making it a bigger part of social media users' lives. For instance, the API could be used to automatically share emergency alerts or the weather.
It could also come in handy for news publishers, though Mosseri has said he wants Threads to be more of a public square than a place for politics and hard news, a sentiment he reiterated a few weeks ago.
“We’re not anti-news," he wrote. "News is already on Threads. People can share news; people can follow accounts that share news. We’re not going to get in the way of any either. But, we’re also not going go to amplify news on the platform. To do so would be too risky given the maturity of the platform, the downsides of over-promising, and the stakes.”
Still, making an API available would make Threads a more viable alternative to X for publishers and brands that want to share and amplify stories and products.
Historically, Facebook has struggled with the spread of misinformation on the platform. A study found that Facebook was the largest distributor of fake news during the 2016 election, which is likely why the social network has placed less of an emphasis on news in people's feeds of late.
