Bluesky vs X: Why Users Are Choosing the New Platform

Following the recent US presidential elections, a notable shift in social media preferences has emerged, with nearly a million users transitioning from Elon Musk's platform, X (previously known as Twitter), to the emerging social media network, Bluesky. This movement, humorously dubbed as "X-odus" online, has seen a wave of journalists, actors, musicians, and other high-profile individuals leaving X. Bluesky has reported a significant spike in app downloads, securing top spots on both Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store in the US. The platform's user base has impressively grown to 19 million, up from 10 million in early September.

A significant driver behind this migration is Elon Musk's unabashed support for Donald Trump's presidential campaign, which included forming a super PAC and allocating nearly $200 million towards campaign efforts. The announcement of Musk's appointment to President-elect Trump's cabinet, co-heading the new Department of Government Efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy, further fueled the departure of users. Many fear X will morph into a hub for right-leaning commentary, sparking a search for alternative platforms.

Bluesky, originally a project initiated by former X CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019, has evolved into an independent entity with Jay Graber at its helm since 2021. Initially an invite-only space, it opened its doors to the public in February of the same year it was conceptualized. Bluesky differentiates itself by offering users the ability to customize their feed through algorithm selection, providing website addresses as handles for authenticity, and potentially serving as a verification tool for notable figures.

However, the appeal of Bluesky isn't solely political. Changes to X's terms and conditions, effective November 15, have also played a role. The updated policy permits the use of content from private accounts to train Grok, an AI chatbot model, for machine learning and artificial intelligence applications. This stipulation has raised concerns among users about privacy and the control over their own content.

As Bluesky's popularity surges, it faces the challenge of managing an increasing volume of moderation reports. In a recent statement, the platform disclosed that it had received 42,000 moderation reports in a single day, a stark contrast to the 360,000 reports received throughout 2023. To cope with the influx, Bluesky is expanding its team and has introduced measures like email verification for new signups to mitigate issues related to trolls, spam, and scam accounts.