Tired of advertisements, creepily accurate algorithms and misinformation on your social media apps? You might not be alone. Since the election, new social media app Bluesky has experienced rapid growth as X users run from right-wing rhetoric posted by owner Elon Musk. It is estimated that during the past week, Bluesky has acquired around one million new users each day. But what is it that’s drawing people to Bluesky?
Unique to other social media platforms, Bluesky promises users a self-curated algorithm and a decentralized set up. It was created by former head of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, who has since stepped down, and wanted to create an X-like experience, but without an owner company. Rather, Bluesky’s goal is to create a shared ownership experience that combines multiple independent servers into one cohesive experience.
This app using the AT Protocol allows users to create or choose multiple different algorithms or transfer between servers while maintaining your friends, data and set-up. This way, users will be able to control what takes up their attention, prevent the sale of their information for advertisements and personally curate their moderation settings on a server-to-server basis.
While all of these promises for change sound productive, they beg the question: How much will they really improve the user experience and how long will they last until the need for money trumps privacy?
Bluesky may have addressed the alarming control that app owners have over algorithms, but the introduction of a personally curated algorithm raises other issues. When users are left to design their own algorithm, it may raise more concern for social media users to become addicted to the app. Studies by the California State University system estimate that five to 10 percent of Americans meet the criteria for social media addiction. These numbers could be even higher in children who lack a fully developed reward system and self-control tactics. Since Bluesky users can control what they see, they will be constantly bombarded with content that triggers their reward system, encouraging more time spent on the app.
Another issue with Bluesky’s current set up is the fact that there are limited pathways for the company to generate profit or funding. Bluesky relies on private investments like the $15 million Series A financing it received in October from individuals and ventures. Aside from these investments, Bluesky has no way to directly generate money from the application. There are no ad revenues or user data sales which are the typical avenues for social media monetization. Bluesky has also asserted that they are not interested in becoming a subscription-based service. In a blog post by the Bluesky Team, they insisted that the app “will always be free to use” and “[they] believe that information and conversation should be easily accessible, not locked down.”
There are no guarantees as to how long this will last. There are existing fears of companies abandoning user safety in favor of profits, seen most recently when OpenAI announced a transition from non-profit to public benefit. Unless Bluesky can fully develop and successfully execute subscription ideas around profile customizations and domain-name registration, they may be forced to explore new and less private profit generation avenues.
We may never see an app that fully encompasses ideas of privacy and autonomy, but that doesn’t mean that social media is all bad. When used in moderation and mindfully, social media can be a great way to connect with others and develop new interests. Bluesky is certainly a step in the right direction but be aware that no matter how “private” or “safe” it might seem, everything on the internet is permanent and there is always someone watching.