Is the grass greener on the BlueSky side?

Will BlueSky live up to the lofty expectations so many social media users fleeing X have? AFP

Bluesky has experienced a remarkable surge, reaching 20 million users in a few weeks. This influx stems from growing dissatisfaction with Elon Musk's transformation of Twitter (now X), driven by user frustration over a lack of content moderation and claims of unchecked misinformation. The “Xodus”, as it has been dubbed by some, is happening, and users are migrating to what is viewed as a return to something like the “old Twitter”, Bluesky, which promises a digital utopia.

The original Twitter successfully branded itself as a sophisticated platform where intellectuals gathered. Twitter succeeded for a while in promoting its culture as one of greater freedom than other platforms. However, despite its outstanding reputation regarding freedom of expression, we can still remember the many times it failed communities in its moderation process. It was also rarely profitable.

Jack Dorsey, Twitter's co-founder, led the push to BlueSky, to an extent. However, in a surprising turn of events, Mr Dorsey deleted his Bluesky account in September of last year.

Does BlueSky represent an altruistic future instead of the cluttered and criticised social media landscape? Photo: Getty Images

He has since redirected his focus and resources, contributing $5 million to Nostr, a social network with cryptocurrency connections. This donation was part of a larger $21 million philanthropic effort from his #startsmall initiative, signalling his continued interest in decentralised social media platforms, albeit through different channels.

When he left his second brainchild, BlueSky, Mr Dorsey stated that Bluesky was “literally repeating all the mistakes” Twitter made, particularly concerning content moderation, which he said he didn't expect given the open-source AT protocol approach to building it. Mr Dorsey's name and the use of the buzzwords in the social media world such as “open source” and “AT Protocol”, were already leading factors in BlueSky's appeal, but what does this mean for average users?

In a nutshell, BlueSky operates on an open-source system called the AT protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol). Unlike Twitter, which has always been a proprietary, centralised platform, BlueSky's AT protocol is designed to give users more control and flexibility. Think of it as a universal social media passport.

For example, you can choose different ways to view your feed based on your favourite areas of interest and people to follow. If you don't like your current platform, you can move to a new one without losing your username or followers. Imagine you're using Bluesky, and you're not happy with it. Because it is built using the AT protocol, you could switch to another app while keeping your username, posts, and followers – it's like moving houses but taking all your furniture and friends.

It's not to be mistaken with ActivityPub standard protocol, which offers a different kind of freedom. In this, you can imagine social media platforms as separate playgrounds in a big city. Usually, these playgrounds are disconnected, and players (users) in one can't interact with those in another. ActivityPub is a magical bridge connecting these playgrounds. It allows users to follow and interact with friends across social networks without leaving their favourite app.

If you prefer one platform, you can quickly move to another without losing friends or posts. Your content could reach people on other platforms, like shouting from one playground to another.

Both protocols aim to make social media more user-friendly and empower individuals by giving them more control over algorithms. They strive to make social media feel more personal rather than dominated by big tech companies.

They also seek to make algorithms more transparent – a sharp contrast from the dark, mysterious, ever-evolving monster that knows everything about us. This is mostly the case in centralised platforms, like those used by Meta's Facebook. It is a huge debate in the social media world: Do we want complete freedom with no moderation, or moderation with maybe some censorship?

Some in technology circles and many average users think that completely open-source and unmoderated platforms are a form of tech anarchism and chaos, while others view it as the way things ought to be. However, is any of this actually taking place on any platform right now?

Not really. Although BlueSky uses the AT Protocol, it is currently the only platform utilising it, limiting true decentralisation. According to some media reports, BlueSky has faced challenges with community-driven moderation, leading to biases and failures in addressing harmful content like racism.

Its decentralised model risks spreading misinformation and creating fragmented user experiences. Some data privacy policies on the platform remain largely unclear as well.

Will BlueSky become a staple social-media platform like Facebook, TikTok and X? Reuters

What Bluesky promises reflects the dreams of many start-ups and tech-ethical enthusiasts: profit while prioritising people's freedom to leave the platform and take their followers and data with them. As an innovation expert and a cruise journalist chronicling social media's rise and fall, I remain a neutral observer, wielding tools that serve my life, work, and journalism community.

These platforms have always been complex companions – simultaneously helpful and challenging. They connect us while forcing constant adaptation to ever-shifting algorithms that often feel incomprehensible.

Twitter once gave journalists a golden megaphone, blue checkmarks and amplified voices across a digital landscape. We basked in the glow of our 280-character narratives, but the foundations were crumbling beneath our feet.

As we clung to our carefully crafted tweets, the world pivoted towards visual storytelling. Instagram's stories, TikTok's addictive shorts, and YouTube's deep dives became the new linguistic currency of the internet.

For some, Bluesky is a comfort zone for those nostalgic for a text-based space that recalls simpler times when algorithms were less manipulative. However, until we learn more about the very fine details behind how the platform works, I doubt the grass is greener – or “bluer” – over on BlueSky compared to other social platforms. I remain sceptical, yet somewhat optimistic.

Globally, the journalism industry, and many other industries, bent and reshaped to fit narrow algorithmic constraints. Journalists became algorithmic acrobats navigating these digital landscapes with increasing sophistication.

Adaptation became essential for survival and relevance. Now, as journalists and other users rush to Bluesky fuelled by social media nostalgia for simpler times, we must remember that nostalgia makes us vulnerable to forgetting the bad experiences that came with the territory of the good.

They are tools to help us connect and build a future, nothing more. Bluesky represents hope, a potential future where social media prioritises human experience over algorithmic control.

Yet challenges remain as the platform navigates its expanding universe. This is not a call to be scared of social media or to stop using it, this is a call to stay mindful and not to glorify any platform for its promises.

Wafaa Albadry is the newsletter editor at The National