Alternative to Platform X
This is what you need to know about Bluesky
By Victoria Robertz
October 7, 2023, 10:08 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
By taking over Twitter and renaming it X, Elon Musk is alienating many users. Bluesky, among others, wants to benefit from this. Here you will find the answers to the most important questions about the X alternative.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky Social is a new microblogging client that looks and functions similar to Twitter. According to the company, the app will primarily allow users to try out the protocol that the company has developed for networks on the Internet. This is intended to enable a decentralized structure of the network and the exchange of content across various online services.
How does Bluesky technology work?
Bluesky’s “Authentic Transfer Protocol” (AT protocol for short) creates a standard format for identity, followers and data in social media. Users can also move to other networks. The protocol should also allow Bluesky Social to be operated decentrally, similar to the “Activity Pub Protocol” from Eugen Rochko’s Mastodon network.
In contrast to services such as Twitter, Tiktok and Co., which run centrally via servers of the operating companies, users can register on decentralized platforms via many small servers. The server operators are individuals who set their own rules for their servers – they are not dictated by the network. According to Bluesky, there should be no central algorithm in the app, but users should be able to decide for themselves which algorithms they want to use – and thus also about what content they are shown.
Who can use Bluesky?
The app can already be downloaded from the Apple and Google stores, but is still in beta status. To use it, you need an invitation code for testers. To get this, those interested can either be put on a waiting list on the company’s website. Or someone who already uses Bluesky can forward an invitation code once a week. It is not yet clear when the app will be opened to everyone.
According to the company, around 50,000 users were activated in April 2023. In September, Bluesky reached the one million user mark. In the USA, many celebrities and people from politics and the startup scene initially registered. In Germany, there were some high-profile parades over the weekend after Twitter owner Elon Musk shared a tweet calling for the AfD to be elected.
How does the Bluesky app work?
The tech magazine “Techcrunch” describes the network as a “stripped-down Twitter”. The profile interface is very similar to Twitter’s in terms of design and functions. Users can create a username with an @ handle, they have a profile picture, a background and they are shown follower numbers and followed accounts. The posts that users can create can be up to 256 characters long and include photos. The posts can be created using a plus button.
There is also a search function for accounts and other accounts can be muted or blocked. Like Twitter, profile feeds are divided into posts and posts and replies. Posts can be liked, shared and replied to. According to Techcrunch, in the “Discover” category there is a running feed with current posts from Bluesky and “Who to follow” suggestions based on a profile’s posts.
Direct messages and videos are not yet available at Bluesky, nor are there any other functions that are known from competitors such as Twitter.
Who is behind Bluesky?
Bluesky was originally created as a project by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey when he was still Twitter’s CEO. In 2019 he introduced Bluesky as an extension of Twitter. Bluesky has been an independent company since 2021, but was still funded by Twitter until the beginning of last year. Even before the sale to Elon Musk, Twitter terminated the contract. Bluesky is registered as a Public Benefit Limited Liability Company (PBLLC). This means that the company wants to create a public benefit and must demonstrate this.
The head of Bluesky is the software expert Jay Graber; according to a tweet from Bluesky, Jack Dorsey is part of the board of directors, as is Jeremie Miller, developer of the open communications protocol XMPP/Jabber. Shortly after his departure from Twitter, Dorsey described Bluesky as an “open, decentralized standard for social media.” In his opinion, the AT Protocol could make it possible to limit the power of large, centralized platforms.
Can Bluesky overtake Twitter?
The key reason for using Bluesky is probably the decentralized structure and openness to innovation of the platform. Otherwise, the network currently differs little from Twitter, apart from a few missing functions. The success of the platform is likely to depend heavily on the community that is just starting to build – like any social medium, its attractiveness depends on a network effect. However, Twitter has definitely lost some of its relevance since the Musk takeover.
Above all, the app could ensure that new apps are developed based on the AT protocol that fit into the network structure set up by Bluesky and attract additional users.