Why is my Threads feed just showing random people instead of people I follow?

Threads defaults to showing you a mix of content from people you follow and recommendations from people you don't, kind of like how Instagram's main feed works. If you're seeing mostly strangers, you probably need to switch to the "Following" feed view, which filters things down to just the accounts you actually follow. Look for the feed toggle at the top of your screen - there should be an option to switch between "For you" (the algorithm mix) and "Following" (your actual follows only).

The "For you" tab is designed to help you discover new accounts, but honestly it can feel pretty overwhelming when you just want to see what people you care about are posting. If random recommendations are annoying you, stick with the Following feed. You can always flip back to For you when you're in the mood to explore, but most people I know who felt frustrated with their Threads feed just switched their default and felt way better about it.

The algorithm's pushing recommendations at you harder than most people realize. What you're describing sounds like either the feed defaulting to "For You" mode instead of "Following" (check the top of your feed - there should be a toggle), or Threads is just heavily weighting suggested accounts even in your Following tab. I'd double-check that toggle first since a lot of folks miss it and assume the whole feed is broken. If you're already on Following and still seeing mostly unknowns, it might be worth clearing the app cache or reinstalling, though honestly Meta's algorithm does seem aggressive about mixing in recommendations whether you want them or not.