Meta’s Threads is rolling out a new feature called “ghost posts,” giving users the option to share temporary posts that vanish after 24 hours.
The feature, available globally starting Monday, introduces ephemeral content to the text-based platform for the first time — a move aimed at encouraging more spontaneous and low-pressure sharing.
Ghost posts appear in the main Threads feed like any other post but are visually marked with a dotted conversation bubble to distinguish them. After 24 hours, they disappear from public view, though the original poster can still access them through an archived section under app settings.
Replies to ghost posts don’t appear publicly; instead, they are sent directly to the poster’s inbox as private messages. The feature relies on Threads’ existing DM settings, meaning users can only receive replies from accounts that are allowed under their privacy preferences.
Other users can see that a ghost post has likes or replies, which is indicated by smiley-face icons, but only the original poster can view who interacted and how many responses the post received. This limited visibility is intended to reduce pressure around engagement metrics and make posting more casual.
Meta says the feature was designed to encourage “unfiltered thoughts and fresh takes without the pressure of permanence or polish.”
The idea builds on Meta’s success with Stories on Instagram and Facebook, where temporary content has become one of the most-used formats. Meta believes ghost posts will help Threads users feel freer to share real-time updates, experiments, or casual thoughts.
However, ephemeral formats have struggled on other text-first platforms. Twitter (now X) previously launched Fleets, a disappearing post feature that was discontinued in 2021 due to low engagement.
By contrast, Meta expects the more private and low-stakes nature of ghost posts to resonate with Threads’ 400 million monthly users, giving them an alternative to permanent posts and offering a new way to rival X, where users often rely on third-party tools to delete old posts.
Ghost posts are the latest in a series of feature rollouts since Threads’ July 2023 launch. The platform has recently added custom feeds, direct messaging, fediverse sharing with Mastodon, support for up to 10,000 characters, spoiler tags, and interest-based communities.
Meta says it plans to continue adding tools that make Threads more dynamic and interactive — blending the casual tone of Instagram with the public conversations of X.
Featured image credits: Meta
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