Everything You Need to Know About Twitter Clone Bluesky
Is the sky bluer on the other side? Amid enduring shifts in digital platforms, Bluesky has emerged from the shadow of Twitter, now known as X post-Elon Musk acquisition, as a contender for users searching for alternative social spaces. It stands alongside Mastodon, Threads, and a few others. Bluesky began its journey as an invite-only platform but opened to the public in February 2024, drawing nearly 800,000 new users in a single day, tripling to over nine million by September 2024, a metric driven partly by X's ban in Brazil. Despite this growth, it remains overshadowed by platforms like Threads and Mastodon in terms of user base. This is prepared by SSP.
Concept and Development
Bluesky is a decentralized social network founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. It retains a Twitter-esque user interface, emphasizing algorithmic options, federated architecture, and community-driven moderation. Built on the open-source AT Protocol, it aims for transparency and foundational independence from Twitter, particularly post-Musk era. Although Dorsey seeded it, as of May 2024, Bluesky operates independently under CEO Jay Graber.
Using Bluesky
Users selecting Bluesky can create a handle formatted as @username.bsky.social, with the option to use a personal domain. The platform allows for 256-character posts, called "skeets" by the user community, featuring barebones functionality akin to early Twitter — reply, like, repost, and share options included. A standout feature is the "Starter Pack" to curate immediate, engaging content for novices upon sign-up alongside a "Discover" feed inspired by Twitter equivalents.
User Base and Popularity
Heavyweights such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chrissy Teigen, Neil Gaiman, among others, have migrated to Bluesky. Renowned institutions like Bloomberg and The Washington Post also maintain activity there. The platform saw heightened interest and buzz recently as users, responding to Musk’s changes to Twitter, sought new virtual spaces.
Comparison with Twitter and Mastodon
Graber has acknowledged the similarities between Bluesky and Twitter, albeit while aiming for decentralization. This decentralized vision contrasts with Twitter’s still tightly controlled environment. Bluesky’s architecture will eventually support community-constructed networks within the AT Protocol system, a vision aligning more with Mastodon which users have noted can be less user-friendly compared to Bluesky's accessibility.
Accessibility and Functionality Expansion
Launched on iOS and later on Android, Bluesky devises inclusivity within its design architecture by grounding its business model on sustenance via premium user services rather than advertisements. It’s cultivating a dynamic, scalable platform through AT Protocol and accompanying customizability-focused grants to developers, therein setting divergent roots from standard social media molds by welcoming feed variety under "My Feeds."
Challenges and Controversies
Bluesky doesn’t stand unchecked against criticisms; moderation controversies arose due to ineffective safeguards against marginalized targeting and handling offensive content leading to user-led protests. Despite these criticisms, incremental developmental steps—like expanded moderation tools promised continually evolving stabilization.
