Ever since Elon Musk bought Twitter, scrapped its iconic blue bird and renamed the platform X, social media users have been pining for an alternative. From the not-yet-extinct Mastodon to Meta’s Instagram spinoff Threads, new social platforms have continued to emerge – and failed to live up to their hype.
Enter Bluesky, the latest X competitor, which recently surpassed 20 million users, nearly doubling its numbers since September 2024.
So – what is Bluesky?
Bluesky is an open-source social platform developed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. While the idea of Bluesky has been around since 2019, it only became available to the public in February 2023. Its interface largely mimics the original Twitter. Users sign up with a “handle” (notated with an “@” and a username) and can send out 256-character posts – called “skeets” – along with photos, videos and other media.
Why are people flocking to it?
In the years since Musk took over the platform, X reinstated thousands of previously suspended accounts and lifted its ban on political advertising, which allowed controversial figures and content to proliferate. Many companies and organizations suspended advertising and posting on X entirely, concerned about the increasing toxicity and the perceived decline in trust in X’s content moderation policies. X’s verification system (blue checks) is now a pay-to-play service, diminishing its original purpose of establishing authenticity and authority. Furthermore, NPR and its affiliated outlets, such as MPR, departed from X after being labeled “government-funded media,” a categorization that they disputed.
Some also felt that Musk’s increased public political involvement has had a role in amplifying pro-Donald Trump rhetoric on the platform. That did not, however, deter the Kamala Harris campaign from using X extensively to advance its messages.
In the weeks following the 2024 presidential election, X has made several changes, the most controversial being diluting the power of the “block” feature. Now, users can block other people from engaging with their posts, but not prevent them from seeing their posts – which critics say will increase harassment and hate speech online. This and other updates have caused a mass “X-odus” from the platform, not to mention its already steady decline in users during Musk’s tenure.
With its Twitter-like interface, Bluesky has emerged as a promising alternative. At 20 million users, Bluesky still has far fewer users than X (although the exact number of X users is unclear because it is privately held and doesn’t share its data points publicly). However, Bluesky’s recent spike in popularity makes it part of the social media conversation.
Where does social media go from here?
X has long been a popular platform for specific groups including journalists, politicians, sports and pop culture fans, and celebrities. However, Bluesky has seen a growing number of users in these niche communities, one of them being journalists. Axios Twin Cities recently reported that Minnesota journalists are moving to Bluesky in droves. It is important to note that many journalists are adding Bluesky to their social media mix, not necessarily deleting their Twitter accounts.
But with so many new platforms popping up, the social media landscape has become fragmented. In addition to X and Bluesky, there’s still Threads, Mastodon, and President-elect Donald Trump’s Truth Social. Different audiences gravitate to different platforms, creating siloed bubbles that may only contribute to the world’s ever-expanding political divide. Bluesky’s anti-Musk perception may alienate audiences while attracting others, potentially contributing to further fracturing of the social media landscape.
Should I or my organization be on Bluesky?
Much remains to be seen about Bluesky as it evolves:
- Who is on Bluesky?
- Will Bluesky monetize the platform through advertising?
- How will Bluesky address issues like spam, bots and harassment?
- Can Bluesky sustain its growth, or will it eventually plateau?
- Will people perceive Bluesky as politically skewed?
Whether you join or not depends on your goals and priorities on social media. We recommend not diving in too deep just yet. A good first step would be creating a Bluesky account for your organization to claim a handle on the platform. If Bluesky’s popularity continues to surge and you can find your target audience there, then you could consider joining.
The social media landscape is constantly changing. Right now, Bluesky is the next big thing. Will it eventually take flight and become the next Twitter? We’ll have to wait and see.