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If you are anything like me, you have wondered “what is Bluesky?” at some point during the last few months.
The app closely resembles an older, pre-Elon Musk Twitter. It has drawn millions of users by providing an alternative to X for people who do not like the platform’s current direction.
Interestingly, Google searches for the term “bluesky” peaked shortly after the 2024 presidential election.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky originally began as an independent project funded by Twitter in 2019, but became a public social media platform in Feb. of 2024.
Even more recently, Bluesky has seen exponential growth. In Sept. of 2024, the app had 9 million users. As of Feb. 11 of this year, the app had more than 31 million users.
Despite the growth in popularity, one well-known organization is hesitant to adopt the app.
The NFL has barred teams from creating profiles on the platform, resulting in fans filing an antitrust lawsuit against the league. The plaintiffs in the suit claim that the NFL should allow them to follow their favorite teams on their chosen platform, which in their case is not X.
Fears of Bluesky Repression
I am willing to admit that I only recently created a Bluesky profile. I never really used Twitter or X, so I saw no reason to join the platform. However, after hearing one too many podcast outros where the hosts make a point to highlight Bluesky usernames, curiosity got the best of me.
Scrolling on the app’s main page, I have found the content interesting, but maybe not to the point where I could spend a large amount of time on the app.
It could be related to the interests that I selected when creating my profile, but a good portion of the content I have seen relates to recent politics. In all actuality, this is most likely related to the app’s left-leaning user base, but I like to give the benefit of the doubt.
This type of content may be thought-provoking or may inform me in some way, but it’s not something that could engage me for hours.
A recurring theme I have noticed in posts is the recent tension and fear caused by right-wing politics.
One intriguing post I saw seemed to exude this anxiety, most likely prompted by things like the NFL’s embargo on the app, that powerful organizations are repressing Bluesky. In this case, someone highlights that MSNBC does not give readers the option to share news articles on Bluesky, but allows the option for apps like X and Pinterest.
I really want to know why someone would share news articles on Pinterest, but to each their own, I guess.
Notedly, MSNBC does have a profile on Bluesky, which makes the situation even more odd.
Bluesky’s future
I think what stands out to me about this situation and, more generally, Bluesky’s surge in popularity is the fact that users are actively invested in seeing the platform grow.
Bluesky is not the first X alternative to appear. Meta tried its hand at filling the Twitter-shaped hole in the market, but honestly, I could not tell you a single person I know who is an avid Threads user.
Even then, I do not believe that anyone on the left is currently looking to Mark Zuckerberg for a better social media platform than X.
In the current social media landscape, Bluesky does appear to be striking a chord with “X refugees,” to the point where they will file lawsuits and complain about not being able to share outside news on the app.
Moreover, while organizations such as the NFL, and possibly MSNBC, are hesitant to join the Bluesky bandwagon, other sports leagues like the NBA and the MLB have begun to create official accounts.
Bluesky may not be my cup of tea, but I definitely want to see what happens to it next.
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