Wondering if the grass is greener on the other side? While we can’t be certain, we can confirm that the sky is definitely bluer. It’s been over a year since Elon Musk bought Twitter, now X, leading to the migration of users to alternative platforms like Mastodon, Post, and Pebble (though Pebble has already closed down), and Spill. These platforms have been presented as potential replacements, but none have experienced the rapid growth achieved by Bluesky, except for Meta’s Threads.
Bluesky was invite-only for almost a year, but now it’s open to everyone. In just one day, Bluesky gained nearly 800,000 new users and is on track to exceed 4 million total signups. This growth is promising, but Bluesky still has a long way to go to catch up with the 130 million monthly active users on Threads or even the 1.8 million on Mastodon. Despite this, Bluesky is able to reach the top of the U.S. App Store.
Here, we answer the most common questions about Bluesky social:
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a decentralized social app designed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and built alongside Twitter. It features a Twitter-like user interface with a federated design, algorithmic choice, and community-specific moderation. Bluesky uses the open-source AT Protocol framework, providing transparency into its development. Initially introduced by Dorsey in 2019, Bluesky was created to develop a decentralized standard for social media. Following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, Bluesky became completely separated from the platform.
Twitter is funding a small independent team of up to five open source architects, engineers, and designers to develop an open and decentralized standard for social media. The goal is for Twitter to ultimately be a client of this standard. 🧵
— jack (@jack) December 11, 2019
How do you use Bluesky?
Upon signing up, users can create a handle represented as @username.bsky.social and a display name presented in bold text. If desired, users can use a domain name they own as their username. The app functions similar to Twitter, allowing users to create posts of 256 characters, including photos. Posts can be replied to, retweeted, liked, and reported. It also includes a personalized “Discover” feed and active timelines.
Image Credits: Natalie Christman
Who’s on Bluesky?
By July 2023, Bluesky had exceeded a million downloads across iOS and Android. Notable individuals like Neil Gaiman, Dril, and Chelsea Manning, as well as news organizations and journalists like Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and Engadget have migrated to Bluesky. With Bluesky now open to the public, more figures could join in the future.
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