People are deleting Twitter from their phones and moving to the upstart social network Bluesky. Here’s why:
- Friendly to News & Real-time Events: Bluesky welcomes news content and real-time event discussions, whereas X has moved away from supporting news in favor of algorithm-driven content. Bluesky provides real-time, customizable feeds.
- Chronological, Customizable Feeds: Bluesky lets users organize content in chronological and customizable feeds, free from imposed algorithms. X forces algorithmic content, which many users find less transparent and harder to control.
- Respect for User Privacy: Bluesky does not use posts for training AI or share content without permission, unlike X, where all posts are automatically used as AI training data starting mid-November.
- Safer, Inclusive Community: Bluesky fosters a healthier online environment with tools like “nuclear block,” which fully cuts off interaction with blocked users. X has allowed offensive content and harassment to rise, alienating many users.
- Decentralized, User-centered Growth: Bluesky is decentralized, allowing users more control over their online experience, while X is more centralized and closely monitored by Elon Musk’s directives.
- CEO and Brand Neutrality: Bluesky’s leadership remains low-profile, contrasting with Elon Musk’s frequent, sometimes divisive presence on X, where his posts are highly visible to all users.
- User-centered Tools: Bluesky supports features like alt-text for accessible images and fosters a community-oriented culture. X lacks focus on user-driven innovations and accessibility.
- Escape from Content Suppression: Bluesky allows unhindered sharing of hyperlinks and news, encouraging journalistic content, unlike X, which has throttled certain links and deprioritized news.
As an example of users making customizable feeds, I made a feed that contains all the posts that mention the Art Institute of Chicago.