Bluesky, the social media platform that emerged as a direct competitor to X (formerly Twitter), officially opened its doors to the public on February 6. The platform, what Bluesky calls “social internet”, was previously in invite-only beta for around a year.
“Bluesky is building an open social network where anyone can contribute, while still providing an easy-to-use experience for users. For the past year, we used invite codes to help us manage growth while we built features like moderation tooling, custom feeds, and more. Now, we’re ready for anyone to join,” the company said in a blog; adding that it is designed to not be controlled by a single company.
Founded with the support of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Bluesky set out to offer an alternative platform rooted in the principles of decentralization and open protocols. Unlike its competitors, Bluesky has been built on its own decentralized social networking protocol, known as the AT Protocol, an open-source toolbox for building social apps that can all talk to each other. On Bluesky, users can tailor content feeds, engage with diverse communities, and navigate through a social media environment with less centralized oversight.
Within just two days of opening registration, the total number of accounts on the platform has risen to over four million and total posts around 147.5 million. Still, it is too early to celebrate the wins as Bluesky is competing with established giants like X and Meta’s Threads, which boasts over 130 million monthly active users. While Bluesky’s decentralization approach adds to the platform’s unique appeal, it also risks limiting its reach compared to other alternatives.
On the brighter side, Bluesky is offering a model that could potentially address some of the most persistent challenges, like content moderation, privacy concerns, and centralization, facing social media platforms today. The platform is positioning itself as an alternative that addresses these concerns, and in turn, aims for a neutral stance on content moderation, and embracing decentralization to empower users and creators.
