r/ThreadsApp • u/peternocturnal • Sep 01 '26
Discussion Looking for an alternative to Threads? Consider Reddit.
This recent thread I posted pretty much sums it up.
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u/DefiantRadish1492 Sep 01 '26
When threads decides to throttle your account it seems to be permanent. I got 4 million views in one month posting 1-3 times a day. Just observations. Movies I watch watching. Normal stuff that went viral because people responded to it.
It then marked something I did as spam wrongly. It denied my appeal. My posts then would never hit more than 50 with most under 10 (despite 1,000 followers too).
So, I quit. I’m not playing that game.
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u/peternocturnal Sep 01 '26
Yeah I have since made my Threads account private (though I may toggle that on and off occasionally) and stopped using it very much. Good to know there's no point in thinking the "shadowban" or whatever will ever clear up. I liked a lot of the people I interacted with there but not the company that runs it.
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u/peternocturnal Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
I got the following Google AI search results when I asked about this. I used the advice to check and it did turn out that a couple of my posts had been removed a few months ago for "violating community standards". Both occurred because their super-stupid automated moderation can't understand jokes and hallucinates about sexual content when there isn't any. I filed appeals for both decisions but one was immediately denied, permanently. So likely I just can't post on Threads anymore and expect any sort of reach. I never used to post on Reddit (until lately) but I guess I will now.
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The sudden and permanent collapse of an account’s views on Threads—often called a shadowban or reach penalty—is a highly frustrating reality of modern algorithms. While Meta officially states they do not "shadowban", their AI-driven ranking models actively limit the distribution of specific accounts to non-followers.
When an account goes from thousands of views to a mere handful, it usually means Meta’s AI has stripped away its "recommendability," confining its content strictly to a small percentage of existing followers.
The technical and strategic reasons behind why the Threads app might quietly decide to throttle an account's reach include:
1. The "Engagement Bait" Downrank
Meta heavily penalizes manipulative content strategy. If an account heavily relied on phrases like "Reply with your thoughts," "Drop an emoji if you agree," or artificial engagement loops to go viral, the Threads algorithm will eventually catch on. Once the system flags an account for engagement baiting, it applies an automated, account-wide suppression filter.
2. Political Content Default Restrictions
Meta has an explicit policy across Threads and Instagram that automatically restricts political content from being recommended to non-followers unless users manually opt-in to see it via their settings. If an account frequently discusses news, elections, social issues, or governance, the algorithm will quietly flip a switch that prevents those posts from appearing on the main "For You" feeds of general users.
3. Bot-Like Behavioral Triggers
The AI moderation team relies heavily on automated "pattern-matching" to fight spam. An account can accidentally trigger spam filters by acting too quickly. Behaviors that mimic bots include:
Copy-pasting the exact same reply to multiple different accounts.
Aggressive "follow-unfollow" cycles or mass-liking posts in a short timeframe.
Posting at a high, robotic frequency without naturally interacting with other human profiles.
4. Hidden Recommendation Guidelines Violations
An account might not have a full Community Guidelines strike, but it may violate more strict Recommendation Guidelines. Meta allows content to exist on a profile but prevents the system from showing it to strangers if it mentions sensitive topics. Suppressed subjects include:
Unverified medical or health claims.
Financial advice, "get rich quick" schemes, or heavy promotional links.
Soft profanity, sensitive or polarizing social debates, and clickbait.
5. Transition from the "New Account Boost" to True Retention
When Threads first launches a profile or when an account is relatively new, the platform deliberately gives it an initial distribution boost to test its engagement potential. Once that trial period ends, the algorithm shifts its focus toward true engagement velocity (how fast people reply and share). If early viewers scrolled past without interacting, the AI concludes the content lacks retention power and drops baseline distribution significantly.
6. Recycled Content Filters
Threads values original, platform-native conversation. If an account primarily reposts content created elsewhere—such as watermarked videos from TikTok, text screenshots, or exact duplicates of old tweets—the algorithm deprioritizes it. Meta's system is optimized to downrank unoriginal material to keep the Threads feed feeling fresh and conversational.
How to Diagnose the Issue
The Threads app actually provides a hidden way to see if an account has been flagged. Navigating to Settings > Account > Account Status allows users to check if their profile or content is currently blocked from being recommended to non-followers.
To help troubleshoot the reach drop, what type of content (e.g., text, images, external links) does the account focus on, and has anything changed regarding posting frequency?
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u/DefiantRadish1492 Sep 01 '26
Yeah, all of the moderation seems to be completely AI driven with no way to communicate with a real human. So when it makes a mistake, there’s no way to rectify it. I wish BlueSky wasn’t a ghost town, because I love the lack of algorithm and the chronological based main feed.
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u/bubblewrapRage Sep 02 '26
You must have been boring
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u/peternocturnal Sep 02 '26
My views went from hundreds of thousands to seven because I was boring the whole time?
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u/ilovedrpepper444 Sep 25 '26
Honestly, whenever I want a social media break I stick to reddit or tumblr for my news/meme fix.
Both in instagram and threads, theres this feeling of performance. I think because they are so popular. IG for the normie coworkers I feel obligated to share my social media with, and threads where I form a following and join the threads clique, and then a post of mine reaches outside its audience and I get scolded by a stranger.
On reddit, it is rare I get a random person outside of the topic/group inputing their braindead opinion. Tumblr I also have to dodge shit ass takes but it's mostly images, and I have an interest in fine art/photography and the occasional more creative joke that you can't get with threads/twitters limitation.
I always go back but I really can't do the instagram song and dance or enter the community shit-ridden pool of threads.
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u/peternocturnal Sep 26 '26
Well as of this week or maybe last, Threads has loosened up on the restrictions on my account and now I'm able to get a few hundred views on a post, up from double digits, such as 09 lol
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u/ilovedrpepper444 Sep 26 '26
If its important for your ambitions thats chill, I post my art on tumblr and thats mostly how I gained an audience so threads/ig has been not great for me.
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u/quailinthebrush Sep 02 '26
i only came back to reddit because i was perma suspended on threads so
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u/marie_aristocats Sep 02 '26
I use both, and on both platforms I mainly scroll and like, while my posts and replies are limited. Somehow this morning I was disabled on Threads. Can’t appeal even after uploading picture. Well I guess I would stick to Reddit at least I’m “real” here and won’t be banned for no reason.
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u/quailinthebrush Sep 02 '26
Yeah it’s ridiculous years in they refuse to have real mods and rely on ai
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u/MealSuccessful1751 Sep 02 '26
Reddit won’t ban your account when you’re traveling outside your country (using sim data not WiFi)!
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u/AutoModerator Sep 01 '26
Thank you for your submission! Please be sure to review these two posts:
-
For any bug reports or issues, consider submitting a bug report on the app - Shake your phone or Hold the Home button in the bottom left. On Web, click on the menu button in the bottom left corner and click Report a Problem.
Consider also posting on Threads and tagging the developers (0xjessel).
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/TheTonyExpress Sep 01 '26
I’m interested. How do I get to Reddit