For this Pollyanna, the most disturbing aspect of the last several years is the loss of civility. No topic or individual is off limits to a barrage of hate-filled, uninformed attacks, each attempting to out-cruel the other.

A hope for something better, kinder, and more empathetic struggles to stand in a storm of rage. Yet hope still stands.

Hope (for me) is found in an unlikely place – a social media platform. Threads is that platform.

Weaving Threads of Support

July 5, 2026 marks the third anniversary of the launch of Threads with the goal of becoming a rival of X (formerly known as Twitter). Built by Meta’s Instagram crew, I had little interest in another Meta product.

As more of my friends flew the coop from Twitter/X, I decided to try Threads.

• I signed up for Threads halfway through 2024.
• Earlier in the year, I signed up for Bluesky, another Twitter/X alternative.
• I have never fully engaged with that community – that is more on me than Bluesky.

Over time, I engaged more and more with Threads.

What’s Different About Threads?

From my experience with Threads, what stands out most is the positive, supportive vibe of the community.

#1 – Kindness counts.

A negative about social media is the unadulterated vitriol that exists across platforms. The mocking, superior attitude of those replying to posts makes Mean Girls look mellow. Even LinkedIn, a supposedly business networking site, does not escape the attacks that are (at a minimum) unprofessional. At least this boomer’s definition of professional.

So, I have been pleasantly surprised and ecstatic about the welcoming, accepting, non-judgmental responses of most of the Threads community.

• Decided to let your hair go gray – good for you!
• Shed some pounds at the start of your long journey to weight loss – you rock!
• Lost a beloved pet – we mourn with you.
• Kicked cancer’s ass – we celebrate with you!

Threads shares our wins, our frustrations, and our grief.

I’m old so I can let a lot roll off my back. But to attack our most vulnerable is its own measure of evil. I have seen and felt so much on Threads.

Grandmothers who online-adopt others who mourn the loss of their own parents due to death or abandonment.

The embrace of a world who feels our pain and reaches out in comfort.

The unbelievable strength of the Black community, Minnesota residents, and those fighting back over the insane amount of injustice in our country.

The inexhaustible perseverance of our truth-tellers like Heather Cox Richardson, Aaron Parnas, and others.

#2 – Engagement is great.

No matter what you post, it finds an audience on Threads. Different people comment all the time and most look for nothing in return.

Interesting, easy conversations abound. Threads is like hanging out at a neighborhood barbecue with some people you know and others you’ve just met.

But if you’re looking for posts to go viral or get huge numbers, you may be disappointed (unless you have a big following). Because where I am in my life, this suits me just fine. I meet a variety of people sharing their beliefs, passions, and everyday events.

#3 – Fellow Thriends have your back.

While Thread’s overall vibe is positive, personal attacks still happen. But before I can shake my head and scroll on, fellow Threads users (sometimes called Thriends), call the poster to task. Typically, the rallying cry includes the following phrase.

“We don’t do that here on Threads.”

The above post captured what baffles me about the spouting of so much hate and nastiness – the energy it takes. We all want to feel good, right? Does attacking someone with cruel words and intentions make the attacker feel good? If so, I feel sorry for them. What a sad, dismal life.

The Not-So-Good Stuff

By no means is Threads perfect. What social media platform is? Threads has some of the same challenges as the others.

The Ugly Side of Social Media

In the short two years since I joined, the ugliness crept in. Hateful comments, trolls, and annoying bots fire off their nastiness as they try to overthrow the goodness of Threads. Hmm, sounds like much of what’s going on in the U.S. today.

But one of the pluses of being a small fish is my exposure to the ugly side has been limited. And when I do see it, there are plenty of Thriends to the rescue, fighting the good fight.

Algorithm Agony

Like all social media platforms, the fallout from the long reach of controlling algorithms is maddening. Followers mysteriously disappear, users are silenced for no cause, and the total lack of control over account-snagging bots is a constant struggle.

Again, because I am a small fish, I have not experienced this, but it happens frequently to some of the well-known Threads users. Meta introduced a “Dear Algo” feature to “temporarily” customize the For You feed.

• Users create a Public post that includes the “Dear Algo” phrase.
• They include what topics they want to see more or less of.
• For example – Dear Algo, show me more posts about creative writing, dogs, and walking.

Does it work? I have not tried it, but from what I have read, it does work – temporarily. Algorithms still use your likes and what you share to bombard your feed.

Closing the Threads Loop

The encounters I’ve had on Threads instill hope. Hope that we are not squashed yet. Good, kind, and moral people still exist. We may be battered and bruised but we still believe in love, acceptance, and strength in community.

And that’s worth celebrating.

Be Positive. Be Kind. Be Caring.