Bluesky Backlash Misses the Point: It’s More Than Just Another Social App
Recent criticisms of Bluesky, questioning its growth, political leaning, and user humor, overlook a fundamental aspect of the platform. The narrative often casts Bluesky as merely a left-leaning alternative to X (formerly Twitter). However, this perspective misses the broader vision of Bluesky as part of the AT Protocol ecosystem, an open network of interconnected social experiences.
Investor Mark Cuban, who has financially supported Skylight, a video app built on Bluesky’s AT Proto protocol, expressed concerns about the increasing hatefulness of replies on Bluesky, suggesting it’s driving users back to X. Elon Musk, along with CEO Linda Yaccarino, seized the opportunity to criticize Bluesky, further fueling the debate.
Bluesky experienced rapid growth, particularly after the November elections, as users migrated from X due to concerns about its direction under Elon Musk. The platform grew from 9 million users in September to over 20 million by November. The influx of users, including prominent Democrats like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, shaped the platform’s tone and content.
While partisan conversations can define a social network, Bluesky’s intention is to be more than just a single social app. The platform aims to be one example of what’s possible within the AT Proto ecosystem. Users can switch to other apps, customize their feeds, or even create their own social platforms using the underlying technology.
Several projects are already leveraging the AT Protocol to build social experiences for specific communities. Blacksky caters to the Black online community, while Gander Social focuses on Canadian social media users. Feed builders like Graze and Surf allow users to create custom feeds tailored to their interests, filtering out unwanted content.
Bluesky provides tools for users to select their default feed and add others based on their interests, such as TV shows or animals. This level of customization allows users to shape their content experience.
The AT Protocol ecosystem includes diverse apps for photo and video sharing, livestreaming, communication, blogging, music, and movie recommendations. Tools like Openvibe, Surf, and Tapestry aggregate feeds from various social networks and open protocols like RSS, enabling users to track content from blogs, news sites, YouTube, and podcasts.
By highlighting the broader network of apps built on the AT Protocol, Bluesky can demonstrate that it is more than just a Twitter/X alternative. It is part of a larger social ecosystem built on open technology, offering a diverse range of social experiences.
