Apps & Consumer
X introduces 'Starterpacks' to help users find accounts
X is launching "Starterpacks," a curated list feature for user discovery, with a rollout expected in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday, Nikita Bier, the head of product at X, announced that the social media platform is introducing a new feature called “Starterpacks.” The tool is designed to help users find accounts that match their interests across a range of categories, including news, politics, fashion, technology, business, and finance. According to Bier, the feature is expected to roll out to all users in the coming weeks.
The feature closely mirrors “Starter Packs,” a popular user-discovery tool originally created by Bluesky, a decentralized social network. However, a key structural difference lies in how the lists are generated. While Bluesky allows any user to create and share their own Starter Packs, X has created its Starterpacks lists internally. Bier explained that the company “scoured the world for the top posters in every niche and country” over several months to compile these recommendations, relying on internal data rather than user-generated selections.
X is not the only social app adopting this approach to user onboarding. Meta’s Threads began testing its own version of Starter Packs in December 2024, which featured user-curated lists shown to new sign-ups and within the algorithmic For You feed. Additionally, Mastodon, another decentralized social network, is currently developing a similar feature called “Packs” to assist with user onboarding.
Suggested user lists have a long history on the platform, dating back to when it was known as Twitter. In its early years, the platform offered editorially created lists of suggested accounts to help new users find people with shared interests. However, the system drew criticism for disproportionately boosting the follower bases of featured accounts. In 2010, Twitter revamped the editorially created lists to be algorithmically determined. The new Starterpacks feature represents a return to curated onboarding, though managed internally by the company rather than its user base. Reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong has also published the list of X’s Starterpacks, revealing which accounts are included in the initial rollout.
Why it matters
X’s adoption of ‘Starterpacks’ highlights a broader industry trend toward curated onboarding lists to improve user discovery, a feature popularized by decentralized platforms like Bluesky.