Bluesky registrations continue to grow
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As a tech journalist, I like to think I’m an early riser. I He was first signed to the Bluesky social network about 18 months agowhen the platform saw a small increase in users who disagreed with Elon Musk’s approach which was then still called Twitter.
It didn’t stick. Like many, I found the lure of Twitter too strong, and let my Bluesky account wither away, but I’ve been back for the past few weeks, and I’m not alone. As Musk continues to transform his social platform, now called X, at the same time he takes on a role in the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, Xodus has launched. Bluesky wins 12 million users in two monthsand is approaching 20 million users. I plan to stop this time, and I think others will too.
In large part, it’s because I want a social media experience that isn’t bombarded with hate speech, gore, and pornographic videos, as X users have been complaining about for the past few months. But I’m also big on Bluesky because I think it represents a shift in how social media works at a grassroots level.
Social media algorithms – the computer code that decides what is shown to each user – have long been the subject of debate. Fear of disappearing or being trapped in the “rabbit holes” of radicalization.echo chambers” consensus views, sometimes conspiratorial, have dominated the scientific literature.
The use of information filtering algorithms has become the norm because presenting follower information chronologically creates a confusing mess for the average user to process. Sorting and filtering what’s important, or what’s most likely to keep users engaged, has become critical to the success of platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram.
But controlling these algorithms also tells you a lot about what people read. One of the gripes many users have with X is the “For You” algorithm, which under Musk and his comments are seemingly inserted into users’ timelines, even if they don’t follow them directly.
Bluesky’s approach is not to ignore algorithms; instead, it has more than average social networks. in one 2023 blog postJay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, outlined the ethics of the platform. Bluesky promotes a “marketplace of algorithms,” he wrote, instead of a single “dominant algorithm.”
In practice, this means that users can see posts from people they follow in the app, Bluesky’s default view. But they will be able to see it all the same which is popular among friendsan algorithmically dictated selection of posts that your members like. There are it is specially catered for scientiststhose working in the field, or To promote Black Voiceswhich are often thinned out by algorithmic filtering. A feed specifically promotes “quiet posters”. – Users who rarely post, otherwise all opinions would be drowned out by those who share every opinion with their followers.
This menu of options allows Bluesky to serve two purposes, bridging the past and future eras of social media. The platform, when it reaches a critical mass of users, has the potential to act as a “de facto public square”. Musk named it Twitter before buying Bluesky is arguably the only square left, as X has changed to exclude many mainstream voices, while competitors such as Threads choose to refrain from promoting politics and current affairs.
But Bluesky also allows you to tailor the app to your needs, not only through feeds, but also through other elements, such as recommended user starter packs, such as tools to quickly engage in individual niches or block tools to silence inappropriate voices.
There are still disagreements, no doubt. Finding the right feed for you can be difficult, and while creating your own is even more difficult, third-party tools are required. But the ability to get a full view of the public conversation, then delve into smaller discussions in clusters and communities across that broad part of society, is exciting. It is the model of a new social network where users, not big companies or enigmatic individuals, are in charge of what they see. And if Bluesky keeps adding users, it could become the norm. So come and join me – I’m here @stokel.bsky.social.
Chris Stokel-Walker is a freelance technology journalist
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