The digital world is evolving as we speak, and social media is no exception. As we navigate the complexities of online interaction, a new social media platform is emerging to challenge the status quo: Bluesky.

Bluesky, the new social media platform, offers a refreshing approach to social media, prioritizing user experience, decentralization, and community. Let’s delve into what makes this platform unique and why it’s worth exploring.

What Sets Bluesky Apart?

  • Decentralization: Unlike traditional platforms, Bluesky isn’t controlled by a single company. This decentralized approach empowers users and fosters a more equitable digital landscape.
  • User Control: You have the power to curate your own experience. With Bluesky, you can choose who to follow, what content to see, and how to interact with the platform.
  • Open Standards: Bluesky is built on open protocols, allowing for interoperability with other compatible platforms and fostering innovation.
  • Community-Driven: Bluesky is a community-driven platform, where users have a voice in shaping its future.

How Bluesky Works

Bluesky operates on a protocol called AT Protocol, which enables users to connect with each other and share content across different platforms. This decentralized approach offers several advantages:

  • Data Privacy: Your data is yours to control, and you have more transparency into how it’s used.
  • Resilience: The decentralized nature of Bluesky makes it more resilient to censorship and disruptions.
  • Innovation: Open protocols encourage developers to build innovative tools and applications.

The Future of Social Media

Bluesky represents a significant step towards a more open and user-centric social media landscape. By empowering users and prioritizing community over corporate interests, Bluesky has the potential to redefine the way we connect and communicate online.

Bluesky functions as a decentralized social media platform, allowing users to host their own servers to manage data and establish personalized rules, unlike platforms that rely on company-controlled servers.

Its features closely mirror those of X, formerly Twitter, enabling users to create text posts up to 256 characters (called “skeets”) with options to include images and videos. Users can also re-post, like, reply to posts, follow others to customize timelines, and send direct messages.

A standout feature is the ability to block other users, addressing frustrations with X’s revised block function, which now allows blocked users to see posts.

Bluesky enforces community guidelines—prohibiting hate speech and extremist content—through a moderation team and offers a collaborative tool called Ozone for community moderation. This contrasts with criticisms of X’s looser moderation under Musk.

The platform has experienced significant growth, adding over 1.5 million new users in the past week, according to company spokesperson Emily Liu. This surge coincides with former President Donald Trump’s election victory and his appointment of Elon Musk, a vocal ally, to co-lead a government efficiency initiative alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.

Despite this growth, Bluesky’s user base, at around 14.5 million, remains far smaller than X’s 250 million daily users as of March.

Bluesky’s appeal has drawn notable departures from X, including media outlets like The Guardian and celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon, citing concerns over X’s content moderation and association with far-right ideologies.

Who Owns Bluesky, the New Social Media Platform?

If Bluesky reminds you of X, there’s a reason for that. It was created by Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter. Dorsey envisioned Bluesky as a decentralized version of Twitter, free from the control of any single individual or organization.

However, Dorsey is no longer involved. He stepped down from the board in May 2024 and deleted his account in September. Bluesky is now run by CEO Jay Graber and operates as a US public benefit corporation, with Graber holding the majority ownership.

Why Is Bluesky Gaining Popularity?

Bluesky, initially launched in 2019, remained invitation-only until February 2024. This gave developers time to address technical challenges and stabilize the platform before opening it to the public.

While this strategy worked to some extent, the influx of users in November has caused periodic outages due to the platform’s rapid growth.

The surge in users coincided with Donald Trump’s victory in the US elections. Elon Musk, owner of X and a strong Trump supporter, is set to play a significant role in Trump’s administration. This political development has deepened divisions, prompting some users to leave X in protest.

Others have left for unrelated reasons. For example, The Guardian stopped posting on X, labeling it “a toxic media platform.” Meanwhile, this new social media platform, Bluesky, has become the top free app in the UK’s Apple App Store and continues to gain traction globally. Celebrities like Lizzo, Greg Davies, Ben Stiller, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Patton Oswalt have joined Bluesky, with some reducing or entirely ending their presence on X.

Although Bluesky’s growth is notable, it still has a long way to go before challenging X, which reportedly has hundreds of millions of users, including 250 million daily active users as of earlier this year.

How Does Bluesky, the New Social Media Platform, Make Money?

This is the critical question. Bluesky began with funding from investors and venture capitalists, raising tens of millions of dollars. However, sustaining its operations as the user base grows will require additional revenue streams.

Unlike Twitter during its peak, which relied heavily on advertising, Bluesky intends to avoid ads. Instead, the platform is exploring paid services, such as charging for custom domains in usernames. This would allow users to personalize their usernames further—for instance, changing “@username.bsky.social” to something like “@username.companyname.com.” Such custom domains could also serve as a form of verification.

If Bluesky continues to reject advertising, it may need to introduce subscription models or other paid features to generate revenue. This approach would align with the challenges faced by many tech startups, which often operate at a loss for years.

For perspective, Twitter only posted profits twice during its eight years as a publicly traded company before Musk acquired it for $44 billion in 2022.

Bluesky’s future remains uncertain, but with its current momentum, the platform has the potential to grow into a major competitor in the social media landscape.


Let’s Welcome the Future of Social Media

At Better’fly, we believe in the power of digital to connect people and drive positive change. We’re excited to see how Bluesky evolves and shapes the future of social media.

Are you ready to experience Bluesky with Better’fly Team?
00961 3 41 25 24
nathalie.jeha@betterflylb.com 

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Author Profile

Nathalie Jeha
Founder – CEO Better'fly Lebanon
General Manager - Certified Marketing Consultant