Bluesky hit record high usage after Elon Musk announced plans to charge all X users.
Is Bluesky the future?
On September 18, 2023, Elon Musk, the new owner of X, announced plans to start charging all users for access to the platform. The announcement was met with widespread backlash, with many users vowing to leave X altogether.
One of the beneficiaries of this exodus has been Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform that has been in development for several years. Bluesky is still in beta, but it has seen a surge in new users since Musk's announcement.
According to a report from Mashable, Bluesky saw a total of 53,585 new signups by the end of Tuesday, September 19. That figure equates to 5% of the platform's entire user base of roughly 1.13 million accounts.
Analytics firm Similarweb also reported that Bluesky's Android app saw half a million daily active users on the day of Musk's announcement, September 18. The Bluesky web app saw over 775,000 daily visitors, up 30% from the day prior.
This surge in usage is a sign that many users are looking for alternatives to X, especially those who are unhappy with Musk's plans to monetize the platform. Bluesky is still under development, but it offers a number of advantages over X, including:
* It is decentralized, which means that it is not controlled by any one entity.
* It is open source, which means that anyone can contribute to its development.
* It is focused on privacy and security.
It remains to be seen whether Bluesky will be able to maintain its momentum in the long term. However, the fact that it has seen such a surge in usage in the wake of Musk's announcement suggests that there is a strong demand for alternatives to X.
What does this mean for the future of social media?
The surge in usage of Bluesky is a sign that users are looking for more control over their social media experience. They want platforms that are decentralized, open source, and focused on privacy and security.
X has long been the dominant player in the social media space, but its position is now under threat. Musk's plans to monetize the platform have alienated many users, and Bluesky is offering a compelling alternative.
It is possible that Bluesky could become the new X in the years to come. However, it is also possible that a number of different platforms will emerge to compete for users' attention.
One thing is for sure: the social media landscape is changing. Users are demanding more from the platforms they use, and X is no longer the only option available.
"Thank you for reading"
Follow me.
