Will Bluesky Replace Twitter/ X?

Recently, everyone has started talking about Bluesky, a fast-growing social media platform that is a direct competitor to X, formerly Twitter.

In this article, we’ll explore what it is and whether it will ever fully replace X.

What is Bluesky?

Bluesky is the brainchild of Jack Dorsey, former CEO of Twitter. While you have your regular platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or X, Bluesky is what is considered a decentralised microblogging social platform. In simpler terms, it’s an app that doesn’t have an exterior influence. Bluesky runs on its own servers rather than using a third party and is self-funded.

The other goal of Bluesky is for it to be a central hub for social media, through what is called the AT Protocol, an open-source software that allows platforms to “talk” to each other. The below copy from Bluesky helps to explain how the AT Protocol works:

“Every time you create an account on a social platform, it’s like moving to a new city. You make friends and create posts, which is like filling your house with furniture you made. But on centralized social platforms, if you leave, it's like leaving all your friends behind with no way to contact them, and leaving your house behind without being able to take anything with you. Leaving a centralized site and starting over from scratch is very hard.

The AT Protocol essentially lets people move between cities. Creating a standard format for identity and data is like giving people a passport, cell phone, and property rights. If you don’t like the city you first moved to, you can relocate and take all your belongings (data) with you. Your friends will still be able to find and stay in touch with you at the same name and number (identity & follow graph).”

- Bluesky explanation of AT Protocol: https://bsky.social/about/faq

Another interesting aspect of Bluesky compared to its direct competitors is that it is not algorithmic. The platform looks to try and promote conversation, by letting the user create their own communities or feeds. If you would like to learn more about cryptocurrency, you can follow communities that speak about this so that the feed is unique to you.

Bluesky isn’t the only social platform that is attempting to break the typical social mould either; Mastodon is another example of a decentralised app looking to achieve the same goals.

Bluesky vs X

When you see the Bluesky platform, it’s easy to just downplay it as a “fake X”. The feeds are very similar, and the way users interact is similar as well. They are, however, direct competitors, and the way in which X has developed over the last couple of years has only boosted competitor platforms such as Threads or Bluesky.

In 2022, Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion. Since that purchase, the running of the app has been met with mixed reviews, as the rebrand to X removes the identity of the established brand. This was followed by bold app decisions such as changing the way blocking a user works and trying to create an app for “free speech” which has led to timelines being filled with negative content. All these issues have built up over time, frustrating their users and driving them to seek an alternative. A big event that really boosted Bluesky was the X ban in Brazil. The ban was implemented by the Brazilian government due to Elon Musk’s refusal to ban accounts accused of spreading misinformation. With millions of users losing X and seeking a replacement, many people joined Bluesky. In fact, this amounted to around 2 million users in a matter of days.

The latest driver for users to leave X is Elon Musk’s involvement with Donald Trump following the recent US election. After Trump’s win, Elon Musk was named as the head of a newly formed government department “Department of Government Efficiency”. With an acronym of D.O.G.E, referencing the crypto coin Elon Musk pushed, the creation of this government department is to remove aspects of the US government that are deemed “a waste”. For many users, however, this Musk involvement highlights the concerns they had with the platform going down a right-wing focused rabbit hole and being used as a political pawn. The Guardian is an example of larger names leaving the platform, with a recent article stating:

“The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.”

To date, the total number of monthly users for Bluesky is now claimed to be over 15 million. The US election and X's involvement is just another chapter in the story of X and how there is scope for other companies to take advantage of a tech giant's vulnerabilities.

Bluesky or Threads

The handling of X by Elon Musk has not only pushed Bluesky, but also drove Mark Zuckerberg and Meta to release their own X-like platform, Threads. Launched in July 2023, the app had the aim of promoting “real conversations”. Working seamlessly with Instagram, Threads is meant to be used alongside the image and video platform rather than against it with users even allowed to maintain their original username. Mark Zuckerberg and Meta capitalised on X's failings by launching during X’s issues with the release of paid verification and post limits. Like what happened with Brazil, these concerns with the platform caused people to seek an alternative.

The question to be asked, however, is which is the more successful competitor? If you are to look at numbers, Threads runs away with its success, with a reported monthly user base of around 150 million. A far cry from Bluesky’s current figure of 15 million users. Despite the user base gap, Threads isn’t without its own controversies with users recently becoming disgruntled over the extremely sensitive moderation and its increase in engagement bait posts, all creating a negative experience. In a bid to court users to their platform following these user frustrations, Bluesky posted:

"How does moderation work on Bluesky?" We have a moderation team that provides 24/7 coverage according to our community guidelines. [N]ote that we don't de-rank content just because it's about politics. In fact, we welcome news, politics, and other important conversations.”

Will Bluesky Replace X?

It’s hard to say if Bluesky will ever completely replace X. After all, Bluesky is still a small fish in a very big pond fighting with two giants of the digital age. Then again, does something really have to replace another? With such a diverse digital landscape, every platform has an audience. Especially given the true goal of a platform built using AT Protocol. That’s not to say Bluesky won’t back down and be bullied away anytime soon. The principle of the app remains one that is useful for the public domain. And there have been plenty of rebellious brands that have etched their way into their industry by daring to be different, and so perhaps this will be the case here.

In Bluesky, we have seen several celebrities make the move already, such as director James Gunn, Weird Al Yankovich, and US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As more celebrities join and the app grows at a stable rate, then it will likely establish itself as a main player in the microblogging area.

Overall, Bluesky is certainly a platform to keep your eye on. 2024 has been a big one for the microblogging site and has certainly laid strong foundations for growth.

In this ever-changing digital landscape, we appreciate it can be tough to keep track of the latest platform updates, algorithm adjustments, and content creation. If you need more help with your company's social media marketing, contact our friendly team and we’ll be more than happy to see how we can help you take that next step in your social media.