The Bluesky platform could be an alternative to the short message service X, which has been losing users since it was taken over by Elon Musk. What chances of success does the new network have?
“Twitter has allowed me to cross the Atlantic and get involved in German debates,” says Rudi Bachmann. The economist is a professor in the US state of Indiana, but he regularly takes part in discussions on the Internet in German-speaking countries. He was particularly active during the gas crisis last year, when the expertise of economists like him was in high demand.
However, he has observed that many of his colleagues are now less active on Twitter than before. As a result, the platform became more and more boring for him. Eventually, Bachmann joined a new network – Bluesky.
Bluesky (“blue sky”) works similarly to Twitter, which multi-billionaire Elon Musk took over a year ago and recently renamed “X”. Users can post short messages there in the form of posts, which are commented on and shared by other users. Unlike other new social networks, Bluesky does not attract users with innovative functions. Rather, it promises a step back into the “good old days” of Twitter.
Frustration with Musk, hate speech and less reach
The fact that this approach finds fertile ground in Germany in particular is probably due to the fact that the frustration with Elon Musk seems to be particularly pronounced in this country: “In my opinion, he has lost his role as a slightly crazy visionary of the future here,” says Maren Urner, professor of media psychology at the HMKW Cologne.
Derya Gür-Seker, professor of communication at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, adds: “Another reason for looking for alternatives is that many profiles have seen their reach reduced since the Musk takeover.” So Network X apparently rewards different content than in the past.
Users complain that the network has moved to the right. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency recently deactivated her X account, citing hate speech and disinformation on the platform.
Musk shared a pro-AfD post
Musk has apparently also personally contributed to the frustration in German-speaking countries. At the end of September, he shared a post from a right-wing X-channel based in Italy that criticized sea rescue by German non-governmental organizations. The tweet shared by Musk contained, among other things, the sentence “Hopefully the AfD wins the elections.”
This marked the “tipping point” for her personally, says media psychologist Urner. She has registered with Bluesky, but she continues to use her X account.
Bluesky only works by invitation
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) now also has an account with Bluesky, as do several other prominent politicians. However, her example makes it clear how far the new network still has to go in order for X to become truly dangerous. The Federal Foreign Minister has 628,000 followers on X and just 24,000 on Bluesky.
The large public that can be reached via the platform continues to make X attractive. In addition, some of the competitor’s functions are missing from Bluesky. For example, users there have no option to send private direct messages to other people.
A special feature is that Bluesky is only accessible by invitation from already registered users. This makes growth slower than it could be. However, media psychologist Urner believes that this exclusivity could increase the hype around the platform: “A shortage – just like time-limited offers – makes it more attractive.”
Mastodon is not a serious competitor yet
What works in Bluesky’s favor is that its design and functionality are more similar to X than the Mastodon platform, which has so far failed to become a serious competitor. The similarity is not surprising, after all, Jack Dorsey, a co-founder and former managing director of Twitter, is behind Bluesky.
“The chances seem high,” says social media expert Gür-Seker about the platform’s chances of success. Because Bluesky succeeds in creating trust among users. Economics professor Bachmann is currently active on both platforms. “Bluesky is not yet where Twitter was in its best times,” he says. “But hope is there.”