(Source : Bloomberg) As former President Donald Trump’s election victory and Elon Musk’s political influence take center stage on X (formerly Twitter), many users are seeking alternatives. Musk’s promotion of Trump’s agenda on X has prompted a wave of dissatisfaction, pushing some social media users to explore other platforms—most notably Bluesky.
Bluesky, a relatively new social network that offers a similar experience to X, has become a key beneficiary of this shift. With over 15 million total users, the platform has seen rapid growth, adding more than 1.25 million new sign-ups since the November 5 election. In fact, Bluesky was the top-ranked free app in Apple’s App Store just a week after the election.
But what exactly is Bluesky? Initially launched in 2019 by Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, Bluesky aims to create a decentralized social network built on the open-source AT Protocol. Unlike traditional platforms like X and Facebook, Bluesky allows for greater user control and interoperability—meaning users can interact with others on different platforms built on the same protocol.
While the platform is still in its early stages, Bluesky’s appeal is clear: It offers familiar social media features such as profiles, feeds, and private messaging, but with an added focus on user freedom and decentralization.
Despite its rapid rise, Bluesky remains a smaller player compared to rivals like X, which still boasts 200 million users, and Meta’s Threads, which has 275 million. Musk’s controversial influence on X, particularly his political support for Trump, has made some users uncomfortable, fueling their migration to Bluesky.
However, Bluesky is not without its challenges. While it gained traction quickly, it faces stiff competition from other platforms like Threads and Mastodon. Whether it can maintain its momentum remains to be seen, but for now, Bluesky is carving out a niche as a promising alternative to Musk’s increasingly polarized X.
