Meta's social network, Threads, has announced the introduction of a dedicated "media" tab for both photos and videos, a move that comes just days after its rivals, including X (formerly Twitter) and the startup Bluesky, made similar moves. The new feature, announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri, will allow users to quickly view all the photos and videos shared on the platform, fulfilling a long-standing request from the community.

In addition to the media tab, Threads will also now permit users to tag people in the photos they share, a feature that is likely to enhance user engagement and interaction on the platform. The rollout of these features comes at a time when Threads is experiencing significant growth, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealing that the platform has reached 320 million monthly active users (MAUs), up from 300 million last month.

The introduction of the media tab and photo tagging features is seen as a strategic move by Meta to better compete with dedicated video-first apps like TikTok, whose US ban is currently on pause. By providing a more comprehensive and engaging user experience, Threads aims to attract and retain more users, particularly in the wake of growing competition from rivals like X and Bluesky.

The features are being rolled out globally, alongside a new "markup" feature announced last week, which allows users to easily add their take on someone else's post. This slew of updates is part of Meta's ongoing efforts to attract more users to Threads, which has been regularly adding new features, including a post scheduler, the ability to follow profiles from other fediverse servers, custom feeds, AI-powered summaries for trending topics, and more.

In contrast, Bluesky, a rival social network, is experiencing a slowdown in growth, with a less than 10% month-over-month increase in December 2024, compared to a rapid 189% growth in November, according to market intelligence firm Similarweb. While Bluesky's growth may be slowing, the platform is still growing, and the competition between these social networks is likely to continue to intensify in the coming months.

The battle for dominance in the social media landscape is heating up, with each platform vying to provide the most engaging and user-friendly experience. As the competition intensifies, it will be interesting to see how each platform adapts and evolves to meet the changing needs and preferences of its users. For now, Meta's Threads appears to be gaining ground, but only time will tell if it can sustain its momentum and emerge as a leader in the social media space.