Since Donald Trump’s decisive win in the U.S election, many X (formerly Twitter) users have been turning to alternative social media platforms, with Bluesky emerging as a major beneficiary. The platform has seen a surge in user growth which is fueled by growing discontent with X’s policies and Trump’s election. Bluesky, in just the past week has gained 2.5 million new users which brings its total to more than 16 million, as reported by Reuters.
Bluesky, which launched in beta in 2023 began as a research project in 2019 with the goal of decentralising social media. It was conceived by Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, and initially funded by Twitter. However, Twitter later ended its service agreement with Bluesky’s approval. Unlike Twitter, which relies on global servers, Bluesky aims to create an open and decentralised standard for social media.
Bluesky’s design bears a strong resemblance to X. It offers similar features like character-limited posts, known as “skeets,” the ability to share images and videos, and options to engage with others through reposts, likes, and replies. Users can also follow accounts to personalise their timelines and send direct messages.
The key difference between Bluesky and many other social media platforms lies in its decentralised structure. While traditional platforms like X rely on servers controlled by a single company, Bluesky operates on independent servers, allowing for greater decentralisation.
X has faced significant backlash for its role in the recent U.S. presidential election. It was accused of spreading misinformation. False claims about crucial battleground states gained traction on the platform, with election-related content drawing 46.5 million visits on November 6. As a result, over 115,000 U.S. users deactivated their accounts, marking the largest single-day exodus since Elon Musk took over the platform.
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