Read time: 5 minutes
Over the last two years, as Elon Musk has made X a toxic shell of its former self, there have been many attempts at filling the void that was created when “Twitter” ceased to exist.
A year ago we asked the question: can Threads replace Twitter? The answer is a resounding no.
The non-linear timeline of Threads has turned people off of using it for anything news-related, and the engagement numbers there were inflated because folks with other Meta accounts (Facebook and Instagram) were auto-prompted to create accounts. Mastodon’s “federational servers” were too fragmented. Places like Hive, Spoutible, and Post just never really got off the ground with the general public.
X’s gradual shift towards right wing and extremist content — and increased harassment as safety barriers were demolished — accelerated after the election. In this environment, many were looking for an exit.
And many people found their lifeboat: Bluesky.
We mentioned Bluesky in our 2023 piece, but the platform was still invite-only. Since opening to the public in February 2024 it saw steady growth, but then rapidly accelerated since Twitter downgraded the Block function in mid-October, recently crossing 19 million users.
Having watched the platform grow, we can now see that some of the potential that Threads had (or squandered) in replacing Twitter exist on Bluesky:
- It has the functionality and UI of Twitter, owing to its origin as a project of that former company. Former X users will need no time to figure out the functionality.
- Bluesky’s feed is chronological, making it easy to follow breaking news and do rapid response. In fact, there isn’t an algorithm, meaning users are in control, as opposed to an opaque platform like Threads.
- Bluesky is on its way to filling the gap as a gathering place for journalists, thought leaders, and influencers. It is by no means the town square that pre-Musk Twitter is, but then again, neither is post-Musk X.
We see a collection of features that may make Bluesky a viable alternative long term:
- Starter Packs: users can create their own “starter packs,” or collections of accounts similar to Twitter’s “Lists” function. You can use these positively (Follow this whole starter pack), negatively (Block this whole starter pack), or go through a pack and pick and choose. Getting added to the right starter pack by the right person is a great way to get an initial following off the ground. For example, getting added to a repro starter pack or enviro starter pack helps the right people find and follow you, while also helping you find journalists or policymakers in your subject matter as well. High profile accounts report massive influxes of new followers through these.
- The Big Names are Here: Major players who make a point of being “too online” and who among the stars of Twitter have made their way over. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the most visible (and accessible!) lawmakers on social media and recently made the switch from X official. Other social stars like LeVar Burton, Dionne Warwick, Mark Hamill, and George Takei are primarily posting on Bluesky now and have already rebuilt their follower numbers in quick fashion.
- Trust & Safety: Bluesky’s blocking might be the most powerful block feature on the internet. To prevent harassment, the so-called “Nuclear Block” prevents a blocked account from engaging with you at all (as opposed to X’s weakened block). You can also use the Detached Quote feature, which let’s you remove your content if someone quotes your post, preventing trolls from directing people to pile on a specific post. This feature also allows you to remove your post from possible crypto scam or bot reposts as well.
- Content Suppression: if you’ve tried to do advocacy or fundraising on any social media platform, you know trying to figure out the rules to get a link in front of the end user is like nailing jello to the wall. Bluesky does not suppress content that has links in posts.
- Some accounts have run the numbers on engagement on identical posts on X and Bluesky and found that engagement per follower (likes, comments, reposts) on Bluesky is vastly superior to X.
- There’s verification, and it’s not pay to play. As Paul Frazee, a developer at Bluesky put it, “every user is essentially a website.” Whereas X’s verification is neither verification nor free (anyone can pay $8/month to rent a blue check, and organizations must shell out much more for a rainbow of confusing badges), your handle is your domain. So while many of us may have .bsky.social domains (the standard), organizations can verify themselves by setting your domain as your handle. When you see the user @nytimes.com post, you can be certain it’s the Grey Lady.
It’s worth saying that some of the first users to begin building communities on Bluesky were transgender users fleeing Musk’s virulent transphobia. Some of the strongest online communities have been forged by historically marginalized groups (think Black Twitter), and Bluesky is no different.
We don’t have the hubris to say that Bluesky is The Next Big Thing. We’ve watched dozens of social media platforms become punchlines (Google +, Myspace), become beloved elder-millenial nostalgia (Vine, Xanga), or get wildly overhyped (Yo).
But as we debate how to reach people with good information in real time in a fractured environment, we believe Bluesky is worth investing time and effort into as your organizations and principles develop a social media strategy.
Or to put it in the parlance of us hopeful Bluesky Elders, we believe that Bluesky has the juice.
If you want to chat more about using social media (or any media) to reach activists, realize your advocacy goals, and build a more equitable world, get in touch with us at hello@mrss.com.
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Matt Lurrie is an organizer, and a Managing Account Supervisor at M+R. When he’s not trying to convince his pals from Twitter to move to Bluesky, you can find him biking around a city en route to the next great sandwich.
Evan Aczon is a Production Specialist and also has worked in the Digital Fundraising and Digital Organizing areas. When he’s not working, you can find Evan soaking up the precipitation of the Pacific Northwest and volunteering in local elections.