Adam Mosseri explains why Threads search results aren't in chronological order

Instagram spin-off Threads recently rolled out advanced keyword search capabilities to users around the world. Earlier this year, the Meta-owned social media app began testing in Australia and New Zealand, before being rolled out to other regions where Threads is present in all supported languages. Keyword search has always been one of the more requested features of Threads. It populates content from other users and creators based on keywords entered by the user. However, it currently does not display posts in chronological order.

One user asked Instagram head Adam Mosseri in Instagram's weekly Q&A: "Can search results on Threads be displayed in chronological order? In response, Mosseri cautioned that displaying search results in chronological order may make it easier for bad actors to abuse the platform and bombard it with spam."

I saw this question on Threads last weekend. So, I want to clarify. My concern is if I do a comprehensive search in chronological order. For example, search chronologically for every topic with a specific word or tag.

This creates opportunities for abuse by bad actors, spammers, or others. So if something happens in the world, they can put the right words and junk links or whatever on the search results page.

Therefore, we must consider avoiding this risk and either go purely chronologically or display the results chronologically but not including every post, otherwise we will be accused of censorship. So it's not as straightforward as people think, but we're definitely exploring all options.

For reference, Threads' competitor X Platform (formerly Twitter) lets users view search results in chronological order by offering multiple tabs. When browsing search results for specific keywords, you can enter the "Latest" tab to display the search results in chronological order.

It was recently reported that users can finally delete their Threads profile without deleting Instagram. The app is reportedly preparing to launch in the EU this month, but its initial version is not expected to be too feature-rich.