BlueSky crosses 20M users Mark - Do you really need it?
Bluesky has been popping up recently on Social Media. Though in terms of its colour and logo, it looks quite similar to Elon Musk's X, it is quiet an alternative.
If you have already signed up on it you must have noticed how similar it looks to X (formerly known as Twitter) then you won't be surprised to learn why. The former head of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, created it.
Two reasons as to why Bluesky has seen a surge in usage, firstly as a swing against Elon Musk's X (Mr. Musk, was a big backer of Trump during his campaign, and will be heavily involved in his administration) and secondly due to the shortcomings of Meta’s anti-political content approach on Threads.
At the moment, Bluesky is enjoying a virtuous cycle of rapidly increasing usage driving press coverage, which in turn drives more users to sign up and begin experimenting with it.
Key Differences Among X, Threads and Bluesky
Probably the most easiest difference is the structure, both X and Threads operate as a closed-source and centralized platform while Bluesky is built on an open-source and decentralized model.
Privacy and Data Control: Bluesky is currently working without ads while there are issues regarding how user data from X and Threads is being used for advertising.
User Experience: Currently Bluesky does not support video sharing but allows for easy photo uploads directly within the app.
Final Thoughts
20M Users in terms of Total audience is noteworthy, though it seems way behind than it's direct rivals X(500 million users) and Threads(275 million users) in regards to real-time, text-based social media.
A significant uptick in account registrations since the US election has prompted a wave of new journalists and publishers to start posting to Bluesky over the past week. So one of the reasons Bluesky is being hyped up is the tech press.
So the biggest question, do you need it? Seems like Threads is more likely to overtake X as a text-based platform, and since elections are over Meta will change it's anti-political stance.
That being said, if the above changes are made, Threads is still going to be the major rival to X and the hype around Bluesky will dial down, a group of people however will find it worth signing up for future references.
