Social media site, Bluesky has gained a recent boost of 1 million users in just a week following the U.S. election. This has brought it total user base to 15 million, up from around 13 million in October. This growth highlights a shift as some users from X (formerly Twitter) explore alternatives.
Why Bluesky?
Bluesky’s exclusivity has cultivated a reputation as the internet’s hottest “members-only” platform, appealing to users frustrated by changes on Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). Many of these users are drawn to Bluesky for its resemblance to Twitter’s pre-Musk era.
Initially invitation-only, Bluesky opened to the public in February. This was after a period where it developed moderation tools and features tailored for a high-quality user experience. Bluesky’s interface offers similarities to X, including both a chronological feed and a “discover” feed for exploring new content. The platform also supports direct messaging, post pinning, and custom “starter packs” with curated feeds.
Bluesky, championed by Jack Dorsey, was supposed to be Twitter 2.0.
This recent user surge suggests a growing demand for decentralized, community-oriented social media platforms as users search for more transparent alternatives to mainstream sites.
In August, after X was banned in Brazil. Bluesky experienced a significant boost, gaining 2.6 million new users in just one week—85% of them from Brazil. Additionally, in October, when X announced that blocked accounts could view public posts, Bluesky saw 500,000 new sign-ups in a single day. Showing its appeal as an alternative for users dissatisfied with X’s recent policies.
A significant part of Bluesky’s allure is that Musk is absent from it. A fact that resonates with those nostalgic for the platform’s former structure. This nostalgia is reinforced by Bluesky’s origins. It was initially a Twitter-based initiative by Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s former CEO, who remains on Bluesky’s board. As Sol Messing, an ex-Twitter data scientist and associate professor at NYU, points out, “It was designed to replace Twitter.” From its user interface to its functionality. Bluesky closely resembles the old Twitter, offering a familiar experience for those seeking a new yet comparable social media space.
Missing Features
While Bluesky offers a Twitter-like experience, it lacks several of Twitter’s established features, which may be a consideration for potential users. Notably, Bluesky doesn’t have a direct messaging (DM) feature, limiting one-on-one communication options that many users on X rely on. Additionally, Bluesky currently has no formal verification system, a key tool for verifying prominent individuals’ identities and differentiating real accounts from impersonators.
