More than one million users have switched platforms since the US election, amid warnings of misinformation and extremism on X and dissatisfaction with its owner Elon Musk, who was closely connected to Donald Trump’s successful election campaign.
X users have also reported an increase in bots and amid allegations of endorsing antisemitic conspiracy theories the platform has lost tens of millions in advertising revenue, as big companies left in droves.
This month The Guardian announced it will no longer post on X, stating the benefits no longer outweighed the negatives and its resources can be better used elsewhere. Elsewhere some high-profile journalists, Labour MPs and celebrities also announced their exit. While publications including the Economist, the Week, the I and ITV News have joined Bluesky this month.
Growing audience
Bluesky now has 20 million users globally, up from nine million in September 2024. This has largely been to escape misinformation and offensive content on X, according to reports.
While social media platforms do come and go, this feels like a significant change and points towards an increasing move away from mass market platforms and a segregation of people, according to tastes and interests.
Social media researcher Axel Burns said Bluesky offers an alternative to X, including a more effective system for blocking or suspending problematic accounts.
“It’s become a refuge for people who want to have the kind of social media experience that Twitter used to provide, but without all the far-right activism, the misinformation, the hate speech, the bots and everything else,” he said.
“The more liberal kind of Twitter community has really now escaped from there and seems to have moved en-masse to Bluesky.”
![Social content](/imager/images/53637/Social-content_3e0708a99331ed5362936bd13d69307e.png)
Social media management
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a social media platform where people can interact, much like on X.
On the surface it looks like and operates how Twitter used to. However, delve a bit deeper and there are some distinctive functions.
The key difference between BlueSky and X is that the former offers users the opportunity to heavily moderate their experience. This helps create custom feeds and block content. It also allows users to have website addresses as their handles, which will undoubtedly become a verification tool for the media, journalists and public figures.
Bluesky also promotes its ‘anti-toxicity’ features, which include allowing users to have more block options. Overall, the platform feels like Twitter did around decade ago. It is free-spirited, fun, authentic and less toxic.
Currently it is mainly only used in the English speaking developed world and is predominantly left-wing. It is growing in popularity among journalists, which is a key consideration for PR professionals.
It was founded by former Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey as an ‘open and decentralised standard for social media’. It is an independent company that is now primarily owned by the chief executive, Jay Graber.
![Social media management](/imager/images/21385/Social-media-management_3e0708a99331ed5362936bd13d69307e.jpg)
Social media content creation
Ad-free platform
The platform will likely remain free of advertising for some time as it continues to grow its audience, via a focus on keeping the user experience simple.
Once it has reached a critical mass and users are fully engaged we would expect to see advertising introduced in a gradual way to monetise the platform and provide a return for investors. At this point big brands will likely show strong interest in advertising.
Some brands have started to return to advertising on X in the weeks following Present Donald Trump’s election victory, albeit at a reduced volume. Brands will monitor and likely diversify activity.
Should my brand join Bluesky?
Currently marketing campaigns won’t get the same visibility on Bluesky, as the platform has strong filtering functions, meaning users can filter their feeds to exclude brand led content. This is a key difference to X, where the platform controls its algorithms, rather than the user.
We suspect many brands will monitor Bluesky at this stage and won’t join in the short to medium term. It is not currently a social media giant that proactively welcomes marketing or advertising content and remains focused on putting its users first. Whereas Meta-owned Threads seems more hospitable to corporate marketing content.
Bluesky’s business model is to charge a subscription in the future and this model remains untested.
Therefore, at this stage we are advising brands not to join and to monitor.
What’s next?
Ultimately, many brands will go where there is a large and relevant audience. That will include both X and Bluesky.
X will survive, it remains relevant and close to power but will likely remain toxic and won’t regain its peak or cultural power.
Bluesky has a long way to go to reach the heights and mainstream culture that Twitter achieved but is one to watch. We expect many brands that are on X to remain there, but the focus on generating content for the platform will dwindle for some. As Bluesky grows more brands will gravitate towards it, if the platform welcomes and promotes corporate content.
Overall, with more and more microsites emerging and growing, including Threads and Mastodon, it is debatable that one social media site that is a video first platform will ever have the same power again.
Get in touch
If you would like to discuss how to use social media effectively get in touch here.
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