NEW YORK: Bluesky is rated the number site on Apple store and the users in days have surged to millions.
Forbes reports that Elon Musk actions make people react and Twitter (now X) is facing rival sites which recently sprung-up like BlueSky and Threads.
Now, in the wake of Trump’s election and Elon’s appointment to a role in his administration, Twitter has seen a huge exodus of users and BlueSky has seen a record surge of over a million new sign-ups, in addition to users who had previously made accounts coming back.
As a result, BlueSky is currently the #1 app in Apple’s App Store, with the other main Twitter rival, Threads, at #2.
Bluesky’s user base has surged from 9 million in September to over 15 million, according to company sources.
Bluesky, launched as a project within Twitter by then-CEO Jack Dorsey, sought to create an “open and decentralised standard for social media.”
By 2021, Bluesky had become an independent entity, and today it’s headed by CEO Jay Graber.
According to Guardian social media platform Bluesky has picked up more than 1 million new users since the US election, as users seek to escape misinformation and offensive posts on X.
The influx, largely from North America and the UK, has helped Bluesky reach nearly 15 million users worldwide, up from 9 million in September, the company said.
Social media researcher Axel Bruns said the platform offered an alternative to X, formerly Twitter, including a more effective system for blocking or suspending problematic accounts and policing harmful behaviour.
Bluesky’s appeal lies in its balance between openness and user control. With features that allow users to curate their experience and reduce unwanted interactions, it offers a refreshing alternative to X’s deregulated environment.
As misinformation and extremism remain central concerns for social media users, Bluesky’s enhanced moderation tools have quickly positioned it as a go-to platform for those prioritising a safer, more controlled online space.
Users can also set website addresses as their handles, which could become a practical verification tool for journalists, public figures, and other professionals.
In stark contrast, X recently eased its block function, meaning public accounts can still be viewed by users who have been blocked.
In response, Bluesky promotes “anti-toxicity” features that let users detach their posts from unwanted interactions, which many see as a safeguard against online harassment.
Bluesky’s popularity has been fueled by a growing sense of unease about X’s content moderation approach.
Bluesky’s growth has attracted a diverse user base, including prominent public figures and influencers.
Elon Musk is on record to report 259 million active daily users are on X and 275 million monthly active users on Threads.
Estimates from Similar web, a digital market intelligence company, said daily active users of the Bluesky mobile app in the US increased 73% the week after the election, rising 40% more — to 2.6 million daily users — by the following Thursday. That’s compared to 31.2 million for X and 4.3 million for Threads in the same time period.
A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Threads, told Business Insider that the platform has seen more than 15 million signups in November, with more than one million signups per day for almost three months. The spokesperson added that the company has been “pleased to see Threads’ steady growth since it launched last year.”
