Associated Press
Disgruntled X users are again flocking to Bluesky, a newer social media platform that grew out of the former Twitter before billionaire Elon Musk took it over in 2022. While it remains small compared to established online spaces such as X, it has emerged as an alternative for those looking for a different mood, lighter and friendlier and less influenced by Musk.
What is Bluesky?
Championed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky was an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That invite-only period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other features. The platform resembles Musk’s X, with a “discover” feed and a chronological feed for accounts that users follow. Users can send direct messages and pin posts, as well as find “starter packs” that provide a curated list of people and custom feeds to follow.
Why is Bluesky growing?
Bluesky said in mid-November that its total users surged to 15 million, up from roughly 13 million at the end of October, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and talk to others online. The post-election uptick in users isn’t the first time Bluesky has benefited from people leaving X. The platform gained 2.6 million users in the week after X was banned in Brazil in August — 85% of them from Brazil, the company said. About 500,000 new users signed up in one day in October, when X signaled that blocked accounts would be able to see a user’s public posts.
Across the platform, new users — among them journalists, left-leaning politicians and celebrities — have posted memes and shared that they were looking forward to using a space free from advertisements and hate speech. Some said it reminded them of the early days of Twitter more than a decade ago.
Despite Bluesky’s growth, X posted after the election that it had “dominated the global conversation on the U.S. election” and had set new records.
Beyond social networking
Bluesky, though, has bigger ambitions than to supplant X. Beyond the platform itself, it is building a technical foundation — what it calls “a protocol for public conversation” — that could make social networks work across different platforms — also known as interoperability — like email, blogs or phone numbers.
Currently, you can’t cross between social platforms to leave a comment on someone’s account. Twitter users must stay on Twitter and TikTok users must stay on TikTok if they want to interact with accounts on those services. Big Tech companies have largely built moats around their online properties, which helps serve their advertising-focused business models.
Bluesky is trying to reimagine all of this and working toward interoperability.
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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
10 comments
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
November 16, 2024 at 6:03 pm
A. P propaganda…best ignored. EPA
PAY UP
November 16, 2024 at 8:52 pm
EARL SHITTS, i doubt bluesky would let a slug like you on their site. no wonder you’re upset about it. calm down sphincterfreak, florida still tolerates your lowlife bs.
forsaken
November 17, 2024 at 7:34 am
Remote work isn’t just a trend, it’s the future of work. qs Work Remotely from your own house. We just want your typing skills, You can make more than 120USD/Hr. No matter where you are. Let’s Grow together and do great things, even if we’re far apart…
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Ed Slavin
November 16, 2024 at 6:22 pm
Bluesky is great. There’s hardly any far right filth and anti-intellectualism on there. Twitter went to hell under Musk. He gave all the fascist cess and seat at the table. Also those beholden to supernatural propaganda and irrational ideology are prevalent on X platform.
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
November 16, 2024 at 6:44 pm
Thanks for ‘Splaining that Ed,
BLUE SKY [AKA]
A percieved “Safe Space” where “DOOK 4 BRAINS LEFTIES” can 8itch & Moan to each other thru the next 4 Trump years, followed immedieatly thru the next 8 Sage XeSantis years.
Welp dont be supprised to see your Besty, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, there one fine day calling out the evils of “Dook 4 Brains Leftism”, Dispensing Correction & Direction to you Dooks, and advising you when you can Relax Your Sphincters.
I’ve already been contacted by Blue Sky begging me to lend my Sage Wisdom to how they can start to make money.
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
Nacho Mama
November 22, 2024 at 6:26 pm
I hope you’ve learned how to spell “perceived” and “immediately” by then. I doubt anyone would seek your advice on any subject. I look forward to seeing how fast you’ll be banned on Bluesky.
PAY UP
November 16, 2024 at 8:46 pm
ED SLAVIN, 3 of my last 4 posts were moderated for being left. i guess. i don’t use facebook, twitter, or x and never have. bluesky sounds like it might be different. i don’t want to be sold something, or preached to. thanks for the info. some of the folks on this site are very childish, or very fearful, sometimes both. again thanx
Larry
November 16, 2024 at 6:32 pm
It’s interesting when a site becomes “right leaning” after the censorship ends. Goes to show how much the left truly supports “free speech.”
PAY UP
November 16, 2024 at 8:38 pm
LARRY, who is censoring who? musk has shown to be a manipulator of information, is that what you’re talking about?
White Spiteful Demon
November 17, 2024 at 10:27 am
Bluesky is how Dorsey left Musk with a White Elephant, Dorsey got billion from the sale Musk was forced by a judge to buy Twitter Google Musk Buys Twitter
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