() — The new social media app of the moment looks so much like Twitter that it’s almost hard to tell the two apart. The profiles, timelines and colors are almost identical. Even the creator is the same.
But under the surface, Bluesky, developed by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, is very different.
The app, which launched in closed beta on iOS in February and on Android this month, runs on a decentralized network that gives users more control over how the service runs, data is stored and content is moderated.
In recent days it has gained traction among journalists, politicians and celebrities, from Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to model Chrissy Teigan and the ’90s band Eve 6.
This is what you should know:
What is BlueSky?
Bluesky calls itself “a new social network for microblogging.” With the app, users can post and follow short updates on a timeline, just like they would on Twitter, albeit with a few differences. There are currently no hashtags, a core feature on Twitter, and no direct messages.
Bluesky was formed independently of Twitter while Dorsey served as CEO, but was funded by the company until it became an independent organization in February 2022. In a tweet pitching the idea in 2019, Dorsey said she also plans to “build a open community around this, including companies and organizations, researchers, civil society leaders”, but warned that “this will not happen overnight”.
In a tweet last year, Dorsey said that “the biggest problem and biggest regret is that [Twitter] it became a company.” He then clarified that if a service was a protocol, “it cannot be owned by a state or a company.”
If the idea of a decentralized social network sounds familiar to you, it’s likely due to Mastodon, another Twitter alternative that also gained attention late last year.
Why do people join her?
Like Mastodon, Bluesky appeals to a number of Twitter users who are frustrated with the direction of the platform under Elon Musk, its owner. In the six months since Musk took over Twitter, he has made a number of controversial changes. in its features and policies, including removing blue checkmarks from featured users.
Some of the same high-profile users now testing Bluesky have also been outspoken critics of Musk’s moves on Twitter.
The Bluesky social media app logo is seen on a mobile device in April 2023. Credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
According to data.ai, the company formerly known as App Annie, Bluesky has been downloaded more than 375,000 times from Apple’s app store and the waiting list continues to be flooded with registration requests. In the Google Play Store, Bluesky is described as having been downloaded over 100,000 times. (For comparison, Twitter reported having more than 200 million monetizable daily active users last year before Musk completed his acquisition.)
Bluesky did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is unknown if Bluesky has staying power or will lose strength like Mastodon did. Nonetheless, Mark Bartholomew, a professor at the University at Buffalo School of Law who writes about online privacy, said the early shift to Bluesky is a positive, as it gives social media users more choice about where they spend your time.
“Competition could actually help users find the product features they want, like better privacy protection, portability, and more meaningful content moderation,” he said. “Social media platforms have features that users don’t like, but still feel they have to embrace them to be in the online space where everyone else is.”
All it took, he said, was for Musk to take action “to sabotage his own platform.”
Can I sign up for an account?
For now, accessing Bluesky is invite-only as it increases support for your network deployment. Existing users get an invite code to share with someone every two weeks they’re on the app. Not surprisingly, the feeling of exclusivity has only added to the excitement of joining Bluesky.
As Eve 6 wrote on Twitter: “Bluesky invite codes are the new blue ‘brands’.”
