Bluesky experiences significant increase in user base as many people switch from X following US election | Latest Updates on Science, Climate, and Technology.
Social media platform Bluesky has reported a surge of 700,000 new users in the week following the US election. Originally envisioned as part of Twitter by former CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky notes that the majority of new sign-ups are from the US and UK.
The platform’s membership has grown from 9 million in September to 14.5 million by November 12th. Bluesky spokesperson Emily Liu expressed enthusiasm for welcoming various new users, ranging from Swifties to wrestlers to city planners.
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An exodus of users is believed to be linked to owner Elon Musk‘s backing of President-elect Donald Trump, who secured a decisive victory on November 5th.
Bluesky, acquired by Musk for $44bn (£34bn) in 2022, has also faced increased reports of misinformation, offensive content, and difficulties in blocking users.
High-profile figures like New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have returned to Bluesky, acknowledging the platform as a digital space for genuine human connections.
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What does Elon Musk stand to gain from Donald Trump?
Previous instances of user migration from Musk’s platform to Bluesky were noted. In August, during unrest in the UK, Bluesky observed a 60% spike in activity among UK users.
Musk’s criticisms of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his predictions of civil war in the UK further prompted public figures like Home Office minister Jess Philips and Labour MP Lewis Atkinson to switch platforms.
Bluesky also experienced a drop in users following its rebranding from Twitter, but gained three million additional users after X’s suspension in Brazil.
Comedian Greg Davies announced his departure from X, emphasizing his mailing list and Instagram as alternative channels for updates.
What is Bluesky?
Initially conceptualized within Twitter in 2019, Bluesky became an independent platform upon its official launch in 2021. Owned by Jay Graber, Bluesky operates on a decentralized model, allowing interoperability among various platforms and communities.
Despite its decentralized approach, Bluesky resembles X or Twitter, with recent introduction of direct messaging. It ranks second to Threads, Meta’s counterpart, on the US Apple App store with 275 million monthly active users.
