It’s not the first time Elon Musk has made people want to jump ship.
The billionaire drove many of the platform’s users into a frenzy over the weekend When he applies a temporary read limit to all accountswith tighter restrictions for those who don’t pay for their subscription service.
For some who have held firm since his controversial takeover last October, it was the final straw and time to find new pastures, or, musk Just kidding, go outside and touch the grass (not because I have hay fever, thank you very much).
A flood of users seeks access to an invite-only app called Bluesky, a familiar-looking alternative that some hope will be the perfect lifeboat for escape TwitterLooks like a sinking ship.
What is blue sky?
Like Twitter once was, it’s associated with Jack Dorsey, who launched the project in 2019.
He must have been a pretty busy guy, because he was still running the “bird app” (a label many Bluesky users now disdainfully label Twitter).
It takes a decentralized approach to social media, where different platforms and communities can interoperate, rather than all living under the banner of a single company like Twitter or Facebook.
But before we get into that, know that on the surface, Bluesky looks and works a lot like the “bird app” – you have followers and follow people, their posts appear in your timeline; and can be retweeted Instead of retweeting, quote a post instead of a tweet; and get suggestions for new friends you might want to make.
You can also post images and links, but that’s gimmicky. There were no direct messages, videos or live streams, which meant most people just tweeted into the void like it’s 2009.
Four followers?pitiful
By the way, what does “decentralization” mean?
It might help to think of Bluesky not as a single social media platform, but as a network of different social media platforms, where each community has its own moderation team and users have full control over their own data.
For example, if you get tired of where your account is, you can pick it up and move it elsewhere—a welcome solution to the ditching Twitter dilemma many face.
At least, that’s our ambition.
Unlike Mastodon, another Twitter-like site that has skyrocketed in popularity since Musk took over, Bluesky currently restricts new users to the bsky.social network. Anyone who visits my profile will see me as tomiyaacres@bsky.social.
On Mastodon, users can join a general network or one tailored to their interests or where they live, such as @mastodonapp.uk or @mastodon.cats, and still talk to each other.blue sky
Meta’s Upcoming Twitter Competitor will also be decentralizedbut whether all these different services can truly interoperate will depend on the standards or protocols they use.
Mastodon uses a service called ActivityPub, which I believe Meta will use as well. But Bluesky uses its own product and needs others to adopt it in order to work together.
read more:
Everything you need to know about mastodons
Did Elon Musk’s first move lose Twitter users?
Unlike mastodons, Blue Sky has a serious lack of cute mascots
This all sounds complicated – why do people join?
This does require some thought on your part, and Bluesky’s solution seems to push all the complexity of the decentralized web into the background.
Once you’re signed up and logged in, it’s very similar to Twitter in the late 2000s, and easy to understand.
It even has its own limited collection of early celebrity faces, from film director Edgar Wright to U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
There are also some news outlets, like the Washington Post, which Musk despises, but you won’t find sports clubs, movie studios and brands.
There is also currently no verification of any kind, paid or otherwise.
AOC has landed in the blue sky
What was Jack Dorsey involved in?
Actually, not much.
Although he funded Bluesky and sits on the company’s board of directors, he was not personally involved in the development.
Bluesky’s chief executive is Jay Graber, a role Dorsey previously held at Twitter.
Ex-Twitter employee Jack Dorsey funded Bluesky development
Why do I need an invite to join?
Bluesky isn’t fully operational yet, having only reached 100,000 users last month.
It had to pause new registrations over the weekend as the onslaught of interest caused its app to crash under the pressure.
That’s because it’s still in beta, which means newbies have to get invite codes from existing users, who are given one every two weeks. Those deemed “trustworthy” may get more.
Nothing says “we’re still testing this thing” like turning off a feature
can you send me one
ok sorry
Also, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to curate anything like your Twitter timeline feed. Right now, it feels like you’re just starting middle school—you know a few kids who made the same move, but there’s a lot of people you’ll have to try to catch up elsewhere.