BlueSky is Exploding. What Role Will it Play in the Informationscape?

And will it last?

Nov 18, 2024

Follow DemCastUSA and Nick Knudsen on BlueSky. DemCast has created “starter packs” of affiliated activists here and here. You can follow all these vetted accounts with the click of a button - a very helpful feature to get started on the platform.

Why We Need Something Different

My life and the lives of my family have been directly and indirectly threatened countless times via Direct Messages and replies on Twitter/X.

Most of the threats are too disgusting to share here, and I’ve always taken solace in the idea that they are likely being sent by weak men living in their parents’ basements.

But the severity and pace of threats have picked up for all liberals on the platform since Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022. It’s pretty ugly over there now if you’re anti-MAGA.

We’ve all been keeping our eyes out for an alternative text-based platform that could serve as a new home base for sharing news and organizing our movement.

Many initially jumped to Threads, Meta’s Instagram-linked Twitter alternative. Personally I’ve found the algorithm there oppressive and unfriendly, and I know many others feel the same. Meta, after all, did announce that they would de-prioritize political content.

Other Twitter alternatives like Mastodon, Spoutible and BlueSky surfaced in recent years as potential landing spots. But none were truly taking off.

Until now.

BlueSky has now more than doubled its user base since September. At the time of publishing, there are nearly 20 million users now on the platform. You can watch an actual ticker of the user count go up and up.

Why BlueSky?

It’s hard to determine the precise reasons that - as people are fleeing Twitter - they are choosing BlueSky out of all the alternatives.

Here’s my take: It’s the interface. The UX/UI design is just superior to other options that have surfaced, including (maybe especially) Meta’s Threads. BlueSky feels like old Twitter before the dark times. The features are rich. It’s intuitive to use. The algorithm feels fair, and users are able to select how they want to consume content on the site through the “Custom Feeds” feature.

For many like myself who have been at best tolerating Twitter over the past couple years, BlueSky feels like a breath of fresh air.

Will it Last?

Now - can BlueSky keep up with this epic growth and continue to improve design and features to truly emerge as a replacement for the “town square” that Twitter once was?

We’ll see. I, for one, am excited to find out. If politicians, news agencies & reporters begin flocking to BlueSky, that would be a big signal. If sports & entertainment franchises/personalities migrate, that would probably seal the deal.

Whatever BlueSky becomes, it’s nice to not to have our lives threatened every five seconds for the crime of supporting democracy.

So…Leave Twitter?

At this point it’s a personal choice. I’m not leaving yet. It’s still a massive social media platform where we have the opportunity to influence the views of Americans. Many people voted for Donald Trump because they didn’t like inflation, but they didn’t real vote for the Dark MAGA agenda. Once that agenda begins to get enacted and people lose their health insurance coverage or social security benefits, we may be able to reach some of those swayable Trump voters on (what’s left of) Twitter.

But I know many folks who feel strongly that we should not support the platform anymore under Musk’s leadership, and it’s hard to argue with that. I respect folks who are just deleting their accounts and leaving Twitter in the dust. It’s a sensible choice, especially if you no longer feel safe on the platform.

Our DemCast Starter Packs

Click on the graphics below to access DemCast’s “Starter Packs”. These are lists of vetted accounts you can follow on BlueSky, curated by our team. One button, and you can follow all the accounts. Very handy feature!