Ghost posts on Threads spark mixed online reactions

Key Highlights

• Feature Introduction: Instagram’s Threads has launched “ghost posts,” which vanish after 24 hours.
• Historical Context: Disappearing messages have been popular since Snapchat’s emergence a decade ago.
• User Reactions: The internet has shown mixed feelings about the usefulness of ghost posts.
• Potential Use Cases: Ghost posts can be beneficial for real-time commentary without permanent records.

Instagram’s Threads this week introduced a new feature: “ghost posts,” which are posts that disappear after 24 hours. The internet isn’t quite sure what to make of this.

Ghost posts aren’t an awfully novel concept. Disappearing messages sparked Snapchat’s rise a decade ago. People post, then delete posts — on X, Threads, or Bluesky — all the time. But having text-based posts archive automatically is a somewhat unique idea. And the internet had mixed reactions.

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Personally, I don’t see the harm in Meta’s new ghost posts. At worst, it’s a feature that won’t really catch on. But I can also see some use cases. Say you’re following along with a sports game and want to comment in real-time, but don’t want your timeline to forever house random reactions to big plays divorced of context. Ghost posts are perfect in that instance.

It could also be useful when saying a hot take you don’t want out there forever. Hot takes are the backbone of text-based social media sites, after all.

The internet is still figuring out if it likes ghost posts, but don’t be surprised if you see other sites eventually copy the feature.