Bluesky

[[File:Bluesky Logo.svg|thumb|right|165px|The Bluesky logo]]
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'''Bluesky''' (often shortened to '''Bsky''') is an American microblogging and [[social media|social networking service]] launched in 2023. It looks and behaves a lot like [[Twitter]] (now X), except with a decentralization buzzword stapled to it. Users can post short text updates, images, and videos. The platform is run by Bluesky Social PBC, a benefit corporation based in Seattle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://blueskyweb.org/faq |website=Bluesky |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Conor |title=What To Know About Bluesky—The Buzzy Social Media App Siphoning Users From Elon Musk's X |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/11/14/what-to-know-about-bluesky-the-buzzy-social-media-app-siphoning-users-from-elon-musks-x/ |website=Forbes |date=November 14, 2024}}</ref>

The service runs on the AT Protocol, a supposedly "open" decentralized system designed to prevent any one company from controlling the network. In practice, most of the key infrastructure is still run by Bluesky Social itself, leading to ongoing debates about how "decentralized" it really is.<ref name=CLW2024>{{cite web |author=Christine Lemmer-Webber |date=2024-11-22 |title=How decentralized is Bluesky really? |url=https://dustycloud.org/blog/how-decentralized-is-bluesky/ |access-date=November 23, 2024}}</ref>

== History ==
Bluesky started in 2019 as a Twitter-funded research project pushed by then-CEO [[Jack Dorsey]], who wanted to decentralize social media so Twitter wouldn’t have to deal with all the messy content moderation problems itself.<ref>{{cite web |last=Palmer |first=Annie |date=December 11, 2019 |title=Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has an idealistic vision for the future of social media |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/11/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-announces-bluesky-social-media-standards-push.html |website=CNBC}}</ref> By 2021, it spun out into its own company under CEO {{wpl|Jay Graber||,}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Campbell |first=Ian Carlos |date=August 16, 2021 |title=Twitter's decentralized social network project finally has a leader |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/16/22627435/twitter-bluesky-lead-jay-graber-decentralized-social-web |website=The Verge}}</ref> who named the company after herself (her legal given name is Lantian or 蓝天, meaning "blue sky" in Chinese).<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2023/04/25/twitter-hatchling-bluesky-emerges-from-its-shell/ Jack Dorsey-Backed Decentralized Twitter Rival Prepares To Launch With One Million Users] by Michael del Castillo (Apr 25, 2023) ''Forbes''.</ref>

After [[Elon Musk]] bought Twitter in 2022 and cut off Bluesky, development sped up. Bluesky launched as invite-only in February 2023 and opened fully in February 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oremus |first=Will |date=February 6, 2024 |title=Bluesky, a trendy rival to X, finally opens to the public |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/06/bluesky-launch-public-jay-graber/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Dorsey quit the board in May 2024 after declaring Bluesky was just repeating all of Twitter’s mistakes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Wes |date=May 5, 2024 |title=Bluesky confirms Jack Dorsey is no longer on its board |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/5/24149543/jack-dorsey-gone-bluesky-board |website=The Verge}}</ref>

The platform has had controversies, including failing to block [[racist]] slurs in usernames in 2023, leading to a posting strike and eventual creation of a trust and safety team.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 15, 2023 |title=Bluesky allowed people to include the n-word in their usernames |url=https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-allowed-people-to-include-the-n-word-in-their-usernames-184049864.html |website=Engadget}}</ref>

== Growth ==
Like every Twitter alternative, Bluesky’s growth has been heavily dependent on Elon Musk doing something dumb at X. These surges are even called "Elon Musk Events" (EMEs) internally.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 17, 2024 |title=Half a Million Users Flooded to Twitter Competitor After Elon Musk Handed Creeps the Keys |url=https://futurism.com/half-million-users-join-twitter-competitor}}</ref>  

* September 2023: hit 1 million users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hatmaker |first=Taylor |date=September 13, 2023 |title=Bluesky officially hits 1 million users |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/12/bluesky-officially-hits-1-million-users/ |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>  
* February 2024: public launch at ~3 million users.  
* August 2024: gained 4 million Brazilian users after Twitter was banned there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Binder |first=Matt |date=September 7, 2024 |title=Brazilian users flock to Bluesky after Elon Musk's X banned |url=https://mashable.com/article/bluesky-9-million-users-brazil-ban-x |website=Mashable}}</ref>  
* November 2024: exploded to 20 million users after Trump won the US presidential election and Musk openly supported him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rahman |first=Abid |date=2024-11-19 |title=#Xodus: Bluesky Hits 20M Users as People Continue to Flee X |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/bluesky-20-million-users-twitter-exodus-elon-musk-1236065566/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>  
* By August 2025: over 38 million total accounts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blueskyusercount.com/|title=Bluesky User Counter|website=blueskyusercount.com|access-date=May 14, 2025}}</ref>  

User engagement, however, has dropped since its peak after the [[2024 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Nyhan |first=Brendan |title=The Bluesky bubble hurts liberals and their causes |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 8, 2025}}</ref>

== Features ==
Bluesky is basically Twitter with extra knobs. Posts ("skeets"—a name the CEO hates) are capped at 300 characters. Users can repost, quote, and like posts, and the big selling point is "choose-your-own algorithm" feeds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Karissa |date=2023-05-26 |title=Bluesky now lets you choose your own algorithm |url=https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-now-lets-you-choose-your-own-algorithm-183824105.html |website=Engadget}}</ref>  

Notable features:  
*Custom feeds: users can create or subscribe to thematic feeds.  
*Domain-based handles: instead of blue checks, people can verify their identity with a domain name.  
*Custom moderation: anyone can build moderation services and lists.  
*Direct messages: added in 2024, currently not decentralized.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Just shipped: Bluesky Direct Messages! |url=https://bsky.social/about/blog/05-22-2024-direct-messages |website=Bluesky}}</ref>  
*Verification: launched in 2025, with both "trusted verifiers" and proactive verification for media outlets.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silberling |first=Amanda |date=April 21, 2025 |title=Bluesky launches blue check verification |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/21/bluesky-launches-blue-check-verification/ |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>  

== Criticism ==
Bluesky has been criticized for [[Bullshit|being an ideological bubble]], disproportionately attracting left-leaning users fleeing Musk’s X.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-06-08 |title=The Bluesky bubble hurts liberals and their causes |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/06/08/blue-sky-twitter-liberals/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Others argue its decentralization rhetoric doesn’t match reality since the company still controls key infrastructure.<ref name=CLW2024 />  

== Conservatives ==
Conservatives view [[Bullshit|Bluesky as an active threat to free speech]] and want them to shut their website down.

== Legal issues ==
*[[UK]]: As of 2025, Bluesky requires age verification under the {{wpl|Online Safety Act 2023||,}} using Epic Games’ Kids Web Services system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=2025-07-10 |title=Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the UK |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/704468/bluesky-age-verification-uk-online-safety-act |website=The Verge}}</ref>  
*[[Turkey]]: Dozens of accounts have been blocked by court orders, enforced via Bluesky’s moderation label system.
*[[US]]: In August 2025 Bluesky blocked people from [[Mississippi]] from accessing its services because of a law that mandated sites verify the age of ''all'' users, something Bluesky was not capable of doing.<ref>{{cite web | last=Perez | first=Sarah | title=Bluesky blocks service in Mississippi over age assurance law | website=TechCrunch | date=2025-08-24 | url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/24/bluesky-blocks-service-in-mississippi-over-age-assurance-law/ | access-date=2025-09-29}}</ref>

== References ==
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[[Category:Social media]]

Categories: Social media