In recent months, Twitter has undergone major changes under the leadership of CEO Elon Musk, prompting calls for an alternative social media platform. One such app that has gained attention as a potential Twitter rival is Bluesky Social, launched by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. With prominent users like model Chrissy Teigen and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bluesky has amassed a waitlist of aspiring users.
Bluesky is a text-oriented social media platform that allows users to post messages of up to 300 characters, similar to Twitter. These messages appear on a newsfeed displayed to users. The app is available on both iOS and Android devices.
One of the unique aspects of Bluesky is its open framework. Users can post messages to a server tailored to specific interests or communities. This system design resembles that of other text-first apps like Mastodon and the decentralised platform Discord.
Bluesky started as a venture within Twitter in 2019, overseen by Jack Dorsey. However, it spun out as an independent company last year. The development of Bluesky was initiated after Dorsey’s tweet announcing Twitter’s plans to fund a decentralised social media platform. The leaders at Bluesky were among those who responded to Dorsey’s post via direct messages.
The board of directors at Bluesky includes Jack Dorsey and Jeremie Miller, the founder of a free instant messaging service called Jabber. The CEO of Bluesky is Jay Graber, who previously founded an events-oriented social media site named Happening and worked as a software engineer on the cryptocurrency Zcash.
The company is owned by Jay Graber and “the Bluesky team,” according to the Bluesky website. While Bluesky has a traditional structure with a board and chief executive, it aims to take control of content away from a top-down entity and return it to creators. They want to challenge the closed platform model of traditional social networks, where a small group of people have total control over the platform and its usage.
The viability of Bluesky Social as a Twitter alternative
Currently, Bluesky is in its early stages, and whether it can compete with Twitter remains to be seen. Compared to Twitter, Bluesky is still relatively small. The app has recorded over 360,000 downloads in the Apple store and has over one million users on its waitlist. However, Twitter reported 41.5 million average daily active users in the three months ending in June.
Bluesky has granted access to over 40,000 users, according to Bloomberg. While Twitter’s user data is no longer publicly available, Elon Musk previously stated that its usage had reached an all-time high. Therefore, Bluesky has a long way to go to match Twitter’s user base.
How to join Bluesky Social
Access to Bluesky is currently only available to users who receive an invite, as the platform is undergoing testing. To join Bluesky, you can sign up on the company’s website and share your email address. By doing so, you will be added to the waitlist for an invitation to join the platform. However, Bluesky has not provided a specific timeline for when they plan to make the site public.
Keep an eye on this new platform as it continues to develop and potentially disrupt the social media landscape. Join the waitlist.
