With X/Twitter having devolved into something of a cesspool, those who left for friendlier pastures are like Goldilocks, still searching for that perfect bowl of porridge. Meta's Threads alternative is closest to being a rival to X/Twitter in terms of engagement and followers, with Mastadon proving to be far too complicated for many users to switch over to. The other option is Bluesky, but unfortunately, it ditched its silly invite system a year too late.
The Way It Started
As the one viable option that was ongoing before Meta's Threads existed, Bluesky had a lot going for it. One big advantage is that it's backed by Jack Dorsey, who is also on the company's board, the same chap who founded Twitter and sold it to you-know-who. This meant that it had a lot of knowledge and foresight on what it takes to build a solid social media platform. And despite being a ‘decentralized' platform, it feels like a closer-knit community where you can converse without vitriolic replies.
The Way It Went
One thing that held Bluesky back as Threads vacuumed up the Twitter refugees was that it relied upon an invites system where users were given some invites to share every other week. Those who wanted to shift over but couldn't snag an invite were left hanging, and those who did manage to join Bluesky were missing many of the people they followed on Twitter. Bluesky still lacks a direct messaging function, which is another negative, depending on your viewpoint.
Threads currently boasts around 130 million users, although just how many of those are active users rather than accidental Insta sign-ups is anyone's guess. Bluesky has around 3 million users right now, which is a paltry figure, whichever way you cut it.
Still Going
For its part, Bluesky has followed up its announcement of opening its arms to anyone who wants a social media home by releasing labeling services that could be used for fact-checking. Also, Bluesky is actually moderated by community guidelines as opposed to a whimsical billionaire or a secretive data-grabbing corporation.
Bluesky is also rolling out an experimental version of “federation,” which lets users self-host their network.
But, Is It Too Late?
Since many users tend to bounce between Threads and X/Twitter, perhaps Bluesky still has time to become a meaningful destination. To be worthy of becoming a viable third option, Bluesky's board will need to change its strategy and increase the level of investment into new features at a much faster pace. While it feels like an intimate chat with friends, Bluesky still feels like many of your friends are missing and, until the recent announcement, likely stood at the window trying to catch your attention for an invite code.
Something that Bluesky has done is work out a moderation strategy and get the framework of the social media platform as solid as possible before letting users free on it.
Frankly, it would be great if Bluesky could overcome its sluggish start and become the social media platform we miss. It may not be the social media platform we deserve, but having an option that Meta or Musk doesn't control is surely an option we want. What are your thoughts on Bluesky?
