Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, is experiencing explosive growth as users fled from X, formerly known as Twitter, amid frustrations with the platform's changes. Launched initially as part of Dorsey’s vision for decentralizing social media, Bluesky is carving out a significant niche as it expands rapidly, signaling potential shifts in how people engage with social media.
Just this week, the platform added over 1 million new users within 24 hours, and by mid-November, it had nearly tripled its account total to 20 million, up from 15 million just days before. This surge has drawn attention to the way traditional social media companies like X and Facebook are grappling with user dissatisfaction and shifting paradigms for online interaction.
The wave of new registrations on Bluesky follows significant dissatisfaction with X, particularly after controversial changes implemented by Elon Musk after his acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion. These changes have included introducing fees for verification, reactivations of previously banned accounts, and less stringent content moderation. Many users have expressed frustration over the site's increasing complexity and the proliferation of misinformation, prompting them to seek refuge on platforms like Bluesky.
"This recent growth for Bluesky has been extraordinary," said Jay Graber, the platform's CEO. The influx has been particularly notable since the recent U.S. presidential election when many users were disillusioned with the political maneuvering on X. “We’ve seen massive migrations of accounts, with over 116,000 users deactivations reported on November 6 alone, coinciding with our spikes in registrations,” Graber explained.
Not only is Bluesky attracting individual users; entire news organizations have leaped aboard the bandwagon. Publications such as The Guardian, The Economist, and others have recently established presences on the platform. Reports indicate these organizations were prompted to join Bluesky as many journalists signed letters labeling X "no longer useful" for reporting purposes.
Interestingly, much of Bluesky’s user growth can be traced to targeted groups of users known as “starter packs.” These are collections of accounts grouped by themes or interests, allowing followers to subscribe to multiple users at once. This unique method of engagement has proven effective for Bluesky; many newcomers discover accounts through these curated packs.
Freelance journalist Chaminda Jayanetti shares his experience, stating, "I now have more followers here than on Twitter, which genuinely has very little to do with my posts here but really shows the effect of starter packs." This approach, combined with appealing privacy practices, has made Bluesky particularly attractive to users disillusioned by the current policies of X.
Aside from the onboarding of new users, Bluesky is also differentiable through its commitment to not using user content for AI training, which contrasts sharply with X’s newly updated policies. Many users feel reassured by this commitment to user privacy. Graber noted, "We don’t want to ensnare our users with invasive ads or exploit their data. Instead, we uphold the original principles of having user control and community empowerment at the forefront of our service.”
It's worth mentioning Bluesky's technical architecture allows for much greater user moderation than its competitors. Users can create their private servers and dictate the rules of engagement within their community, fostering more meaningful connections and discussions. This decentralized model promises greater resilience against centralized control seen on platforms like X.
Since Dorsey first introduced the idea for Bluesky, it has evolved significantly from its initial conceptual stage, with last month marking its transition from invitation-only access to full public availability. The timing of this rollout couldn't have been more fortuitous, aligning perfectly with the recent exodus from other platforms.
With this growing momentum, Bluesky recently achieved recognition as the top app on Apple’s App Store and consistently ranks high on Google Play, reflecting users' enthusiasm for engaging with alternatives to established giants. While it’s still dwarfed by platforms like Meta's Threads—which recently reported figures as high as 275 million monthly active users—Bluesky's recent growth signifies there’s room for competitors.
Social media experts and analysts are closely watching the platform's evolution, speculating it might become the new go-to space as users yearn for platforms less laden with advertisers and more focused on user experience. Current trends suggest it’s also acting as fertile ground for fostering niche communities and specialized dialogues, perhaps even rekindling the early internet days where smaller forums thrived.
Moving forward, Bluesky remains committed to transparency about growth and user engagement, regularly releasing updates and metrics about consistent engagement rates to keep its user base informed. According to Graber, the platform is on course to continue its astonishing pace of growth as more users are drawn away from X.
While the market remains crowded and competitive, Bluesky’s unique approach may very well set it apart from its predecessors. This differentiation, paired with the growing sentiment of distrust toward X—and even Meta's recent maneuvers—could see Bluesky not just survive but become one of the main drivers of social media engagement moving forward.
It’s clear now more than ever, as user habits continue to shift post-election and after years of disillusionment with established platforms, Bluesky stands poised to take advantage of this fertile environment, perhaps signalling the dawn of new, decentralized forms of social interaction.
The big question now is whether it can sustain this growth over the long term and retain the very users it has aimed to attract—all eyes will remain on Bluesky as it attempts to navigate its burgeoning audience and the competitive social media ecosystem.
For now, as users freely express themselves and join like-minded communities, the winds of change are blowing favorably for Bluesky. The social media narrative is shifting, and it seems many are ready to embrace it.
