X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, was acquired by Elon Musk in 2022, with an approximate user base of around 200 million users at the time. Quite staggering, wouldn’t you agree?. However in the last week the platform has lost millions of users- The beneficiary of these lost users? None other than Bluesky – a platform that became popular as a replacement for the old Twitter which now has over 20 million users on its platform.
Bluesky founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and currently sees Jay Graber at the Helm, has witnessed its growth soar post the recent U.S elections. In fact it has gained an average of 1 million new users per day over the past week – equating to 10000 new users every 10-15 minutes.
Bluesky’s unexpected growth is partly due to concerns raised by prominent figures about X’s direction and content. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), British news publication The Guardian, and former CNN anchor Don Lemon are among those who have publicly announced their departure from X according to thetechportal. This comes on the backdrop of concerns about increased misinformation and the effects of a recent policy change.
According to analytics firm SimilarWeb, a spike of engagement was noted upon Donald Trump’s victory, with an estimated 46.5 million visits in the U.S. alone. But alas, despite the surge in activity, X also saw a mass exodus of users on November 6th, with roughly 115,000 accounts deactivated. The policy change requiring all legal disputes to be handled in Texas courts is another reason for the exodus. Where advocacy groups are concerned that this will limit users’ ability to challenge X’s policies and favour Musk in legal battles.
Bluesky, a decentralised platform with customisable algorithms, has become a haven for those fleeing X, gaining millions of new users due to its attractive features and X’s recent controversies. The dramatic shift in users from X to Bluesky paints a clear picture: in the ever-evolving landscape of social media, users are prioritizing platforms that align with their values and beliefs. While it is unclear as to whether Bluesky can sustain this momentum and truly challenge X’s dominance, one thing is clear, This is just the beginning of the fight for how we connect online.
