Bluesky, an emerging social media app, has garnered attention for its striking resemblance to Twitter. The app’s creator, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and former CEO, launched Bluesky in closed beta on iOS in February and Android this month. The app operates on a decentralised network that provides users with more control over how the service is run. This includes how data is stored, and content is moderated.
Bluesky describes itself as ‘a new social network for microblogging’. Users can post and follow short updates on a timeline, similar to Twitter. At present, the app does not support hashtags or direct messages. While serving as Twitter’s CEO, Dorsey independently formed Bluesky. The company funded it until Bluesky became an independent organisation in February 2022.
The idea of a decentralised social network may sound familiar because of Mastodon, another Twitter alternative that gained attention late last year. Like Mastodon, Bluesky appeals to Twitter users frustrated with the platform’s direction under owner Elon Musk. Musk has made controversial changes to Twitter’s features and policies, including the removal of blue checkmarks from prominent users.
AI data shows that users have downloaded Bluesky over 375,000 times from the Apple App Store. Users have downloaded Bluesky over 100,000 times on the Google Play Store. The waitlist for Bluesky is still receiving a high number of sign-up requests from users. The app is currently invite-only as it ramps up support for its network.
