Following the election, a wave of Americans discovered a burgeoning social media platform known as Bluesky. By early November, a remarkable 1 million users signed up for Bluesky in just one day, leading experts to speculate that many disenchanted X users were seeking refuge from the modifications implemented by Elon Musk at X in favor of Bluesky. However, after the initial excitement and rapid expansion of Bluesky, what lies ahead?
Kelley Muhsemann, the marketing manager at R.W. Rogé and Company Inc., was introduced to Bluesky when her supervisor urged her to create an account. “He mentioned that it was experiencing rapid growth, and as a business owner, he likely wants to ensure our company remains competitive and relevant,” she states. Nonetheless, she has always been hesitant about joining newer social media platforms. “In my decade-long experience in the marketing sector within financial services, only one and a half networks, aside from Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, have attained mainstream status—Instagram being one and TikTok being the half due to its potential impending ban in the U.S. Over my career, I’ve witnessed many promising social networks ignite only to fizzle out swiftly.”
Even though she complied with her boss’s request, primarily to secure a desired handle for future use, she also replied, “I’m glad to post there, but new social networks seem to continuously emerge in the quest to become part of the ‘big 3,’ and very few achieve that. We’ll see how this one plays out!” Her skepticism mirrors the perspectives of other industry experts regarding what she calls the “ghost of Twitter past”—Bluesky.
How is Bluesky performing?
As of now, Bluesky boasts over 25.5 million registered users, accumulating at a pace of 0.9 users per second. While this isn’t quite as fervent as the growth seen in early November, it remains considerable. In comparison, Threads recently reported reaching 300 million monthly active users by mid-December.
Data from Similarweb indicates that a significant portion of Bluesky’s users are based in the United States, accounting for 44.5% of the total. Canada and the United Kingdom follow closely, each representing nearly 6% of users.
In terms of current monthly traffic for competitors, Instagram attracts 5.9 billion visits, while Facebook sees 12 billion. Bluesky has reached 4.5 million monthly visits as of November 2024.
Although Bluesky achieved the top download position in the Apple App Store during the week post-election, it did not make it to Apple’s top 20 list of free downloaded apps in 2024. Some experts even anticipate it won’t end the year in the top 100 downloaded apps.
What causes many X competitors to falter after their initial success?
For years, social media analysts have been attempting to identify the factors behind the success or failure of a social media platform. This year has highlighted the influence of politics in this equation.
“The search for an alternative to Twitter has intensified since Elon Musk took over; while some critics of X are politically motivated, others simply dislike the changes made to a platform they have used for years,” comments Toni Marino, an SEO consultant based in Manchester, England. “Data shows a significant surge in user interest right after the announcement of the U.S. election results… This indicates that many individuals are departing from X due to a perception that it no longer aligns with their political values.”
“The primary challenge facing rival platforms is their monetization strategy. I struggle to envision how competitors to X can impose a subscription fee or attract business advertisements unless they can draw more users than X. A business is likely to invest in advertising on platforms with established large audiences,” Marino elaborates. “Competitors of X might find success if they focus on niche segments and deeply address the concerns of users who have left X, but as it stands, most seem to be attempting to create a version of Twitter 2.0, which I believe is ultimately a losing strategy.”
Bluesky’s achievements and obstacles
With the advent of new platforms comes a wave of hesitancy. Muhsemann points out that while creating profiles and content on Bluesky is relatively straightforward, there are additional hurdles. “In the financial sector, the bigger concern tends to be the ‘red tape.’ Am I allowed to publish content on Bluesky? Twelve years ago, financial professionals couldn’t ‘like’ anything on Facebook due to it being perceived as an endorsement. Nowadays, we have more leeway on social media, but anything new poses potential restrictions in the financial landscape,” she explains.
One of the most popular features of Bluesky is their starter packs. Instead of sifting through the search bar for favorite sports personalities, starter packs offer themed collections of profiles to follow with a single click.
Among those who left Twitter, CNET reports that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Star Wars actor Mark Hamill have made their way to Bluesky. For those yearning for the Twitter of yesteryear, The New York Times suggests Bluesky has come closest to replicating that experience. Depending on individual preferences and social media affinities, this could be seen as either a boon or a drawback.
In a press release, Marino forecasted that Bluesky will need to distinguish itself from X to thrive, perhaps by highlighting its progressive values. Bluesky has yet to respond to inquiries regarding their future direction.
Muhsemann remarks, “There’s also something to appreciate about how Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok clawed their way to the top. As wary as I may be, it’s impossible to predict which emerging social platform could become the next breakout star.”
