Meta's text-based social platform threads have officially launched a ghost post feature that automatically disappears after 24 hours. This feature is for users who want to share their thoughts or opinions for a limited time but don't want to leave them on their profiles for a long time.
Threads has been testing ghost posts since April of this year and recently rolled them out in full with a series of updates, including messaging features, 10,000-character text attachments, group chats, and topic-based communities.
Ghost posts appear as gray speech bubbles and are automatically archived 24 hours after posting. Comments and likes are visible only to the author, and all replies are delivered to the thread's inbox. This makes them invisible to other users, allowing for more open conversations.
Users can create a ghost post by tapping the ghost icon on the post creation screen. Threads explains, "Ghost posts are designed to be a lighthearted experience where you can share today's thoughts and let them disappear tomorrow," adding, "You can express spontaneous ideas and emotions without the burden of permanent storage.".
Recently, Threads has been experimenting with various methods to expand user engagement. This summer, we introduced a feature that allows users to hide posts or images containing spoilers, and we also added text attachments for longer posts. Meta plans to continue evolving Threads into a space where users can easily share thoughts and communicate.
This ghost post feature is being evaluated as an example of the platform officially implementing the 24-hour automatic deletion of posts, a long-requested feature among users of other social platforms. The 24-hour disappearance allows users to freely share their spontaneous and honest thoughts, and the thread aims to expand the scope of lighthearted conversations through this feature.
