In early November, 1 million people joined Bluesky in a single day. Now, a live counter shows over 20 million users as of earlier this week. With 10-11 people joining per second, the social media startup seems to have no limit. Here’s what to know about the social media platform scaling faster than anyone expected.
Bluesky’s humble beginnings
Bluesky was started by Jack Dorsey, a former Twitter employee, who created the spinoff with a focus on what’s best for users, not big tech companies. Members of the board are Jay Graber, Jeremie Miller, Mike Masnick an Kinjal Shah. Bluesky became an independent company in 2021 and was originally available to users by invitation only. However, the app dropped the invitation requirements in February 2024. Wired called it a “haven” for left-leaning people upset by the Elon Musk-owned alternative X. The platform, meant for microblogging like X and Threads, is still nowhere near Threads’ numbers, but it’s growing much more quickly than other social media, competing with the big names in the industry.
The interesting timing in the rise of Bluesky
Many point to multiple factors, rather than a random rise in popularity, for the success of Bluesky. X has been dealing with mass exoduses, the largest of which involved 115,000 people who left after the election. The surge has coincided with not only the election month, but also a change in the X user agreement that went into effect Nov. 15, which includes legal ramifications.
The change states that if users are “requesting, viewing or accessing more than 1,000,000 posts (including reply posts, video posts, image posts and any other posts) in any 24-hour period [they face damages of] $15,000 per 1,000,000 posts.” Some also object to X’s use of their content to train AI, along with other concerns. Alex Abdo, litigation director of Columbia University’s Knight Institute, called X’s new terms a “disturbing move” that should be reversed. They point to researchers as one of the groups who could easily violate the restriction on the number of posts, and blocking, deleting or fining them would be wrong. Abdo additionally said the terms could “stifle research when we need it the most.”
Enter: The “starter pack”
One key feature distinguishing X and Threads from Bluesky is the starter pack. This is the ability to group users by interest and have others follow the whole group of users in a single click, rather than searching for individuals and following them one at a time. For example, you can follow Major League Baseball players and other major voices in an MLB starter pack, among other key sports starter packs.
Other Bluesky features
“Since Bluesky is a decentralized social media platform, it offers users much more control and privacy compared to some of the more popular platforms we are most familiar with, which are owned by one single entity,” says Alycia Leno, director of content marketing at GoDaddy.
Bluesky boasts a more focused way to do social media with separate feeds and advanced moderation tools to help customize your personal experience while on the app. Additionally, according to the company, it allows users to “access both an easy-to-use social network and a shared identity across the entire social internet.”
Bluesky is taking a lighthearted approach, and even made a comic explaining their app model—it is an “open platform app.” “Unlike other closed platforms, Bluesky is an open social network that gives users choice, developers the freedom to build, and creators independence from platforms,” Emily Liu, a Bluesky spokesperson told USA Today.
Bluesky Social gives this explanation of their app, “We want modern social media and public conversation online to work more like the early days of the web, when anyone could put up a blog or use RSS to subscribe to several blogs. We believe this will unlock a new era of experimentation and innovation in social media. Researchers and communities will have the ability to jump in to help solve the problems social networks currently face, and developers will be able to experiment with many new forms of interaction.”
What recent adopters of Bluesky are saying
“Bluesky currently has a ‘Twitter in 2011’ vibe, and I love that. Twitter communities and conversations are why and how I built my business back then. Will Bluesky be like that? It’s too soon to tell. Will brands be there? Will communities form? Some of us have found Bluesky Social to feel a bit like Twitter back in 2011 and are enjoying reconnecting.” —Beth Granger, speaker and business consultant at Beth Granger Consulting in the New York City area
“Bluesky really has been such a breath of fresh air in the whole social media landscape, especially if you’ve dared [dip] your toes into Elon’s X. The community vibe there is remarkably different and it feels like people you interact with are genuinely positive and considerate. I also love their commitment to accessibility with their alt-text feature for images and I think that shows real thoughtfulness in the whole platform’s design.
“The intellectual discourse is incredible too; you’ll find academics sharing research insights alongside artists showcasing their work. The only hassle for now is the one-minute video limit, which is currently restrictive, but knowing the Bluesky team’s track record, I’m really confident that’ll evolve soon.” —Sandy Meier, head of marketing at Contentellect, a global business that helps owners and entrepreneurs scale their content and improve online visibility, in South Africa
“I am on Bluesky now from both a personal and professional perspective… Clearly, Bluesky is just a Twitter/X clone, but with an extremely important caveat. The sad thing that’s happened to X is that, sure, you’ll still find good stuff on there from people you follow, but the ‘For You’ feed—which was a great way to discover new content and even content from people you followed—is inundated with racist and offensive content. I might find something good, but that’s only after enduring a fire hose of slurs, terribly offensive posts and genuinely disturbing images and videos.” —Steve DiMatteo, CEO of Cleveland Vintage Shirts, located in Cleveland
Marketing professionals discuss how Bluesky may impact clients
“With limited time and resources, small businesses are often unsure of how much effort to put into new apps like Bluesky, but it never hurts to explore new tools and avenues to connect with consumers. With these emerging social media platforms, it’s always smart for businesses to claim their brand’s username and establish a digital presence on the platform. This ensures that their brand name is not being misused and that they are in a good position should the platform continue to become more popular. When joining new platforms like Bluesky, it’s important to stay authentic and focus on the community aspect rather than trying to self-promote your business.” —Alycia Leno, director of content marketing at GoDaddy
“As a marketer, my greatest need at this point is to view events and engage around them, and that used to occur on Twitter. That’s no longer the case. My hope is that Bluesky will gain traction and that there will be a sense of community there that will resemble something like what Twitter once was. My hope is that hashtags are used as well as they were on Twitter so we can follow along with thoughts and reactions. It’s going to take a long time to build this community, but Twitter built over time, and so will Bluesky.” —Robyn Davis Sekula, vice president of communications and marketing at the Presbyterian Foundation in Jeffersonville, Indiana
“Bluesky takes a page out of the nostalgia marketing playbook by tapping into the old framework and emotions of users who remember the early days of social media, specifically Twitter. The surge in popularity is directly tied to the timing of current events and the desire for a healthy and safe social media platform for users to connect. Businesses who choose to join the platform now are showing that they are ahead of trends by being early adopters of the latest social media shakeup. Being an early adopter is incredibly appealing to Gen Z and millennials, who are noted as top consumers in the country.” —Brandi Sims, founder, CEO and publicist at Brandinc PR in Austin, Texas
“I always tell my clients to grab their brand’s handle on a new social app—this way, if it gets big, you’ve got it locked down. Bluesky is surging in popularity… but with specific audiences. The largest demographic is young males from Brazil. If that is your target audience and if your brand leans into being forward-thinking and tech-savvy, being on a new platform shows you’re in the know. Also, with fewer brands on it right now, it’s easier to cut through the noise. That said, it’s still a niche space with limited posting integrations, so for most brands, it’s not time to pour resources into it just yet. Think of it as planting a flag, not building the castle.” —Beth Cooper, vice president of marketing and sales at KNB Communications in the New York City area
How business owners are using Bluesky
“As someone who’s always looking for new ways to connect with clients, I recently heard about the Bluesky app from a client who couldn’t stop raving about it. Curious, I decided to give it a try. Right away, I noticed how much smoother and faster it felt compared to X. It’s refreshing to see a platform that encourages genuine conversations and connections. Since joining, I’ve already managed to connect with a few clients, and it’s been a great way to share ideas and insights.” —Rich Kingly, CEO of Driveway King, in Garwood, New Jersey
“I’ve been exploring Bluesky personally (I haven’t deployed it for business as of yet, though with no advertising, I think it will be more of a Quora or Reddit style approach for us, i.e.: aiding in information to interested parties) but I must say that I’m pretty impressed with the platform’s thoughtfulness. The starter packs make it really easy to find relevant voices in specific niches that I enjoy, and I’ve reconnected with many business leaders I followed on Twitter before it became overrun with bots and repetitive content.
For Burning Daily’s social presence, we’re sticking with Instagram and Threads where our more wellness and lifestyle-focused audience lives, but I’m keeping a close watch on Bluesky for any potential to enable meaningful industry discussions without the chaos that’s overtaken Twitter. The feed customization is also particularly refreshing and it feels like the early days of Twitter, before the arrogant noise drowned out any genuine conversation.” —Dennis Sanders, founder and CEO of Burning Daily, an e-commerce site, in Garden Grove, California
Whether you are a casual social media user looking for a place to connect and share thoughts, or a business professional with high stakes in the success of your social media strategy, Bluesky might be a platform to have on your radar. There’s a unique camaraderie and excitement on the platform as everyone figures out a new way forward together—and where there’s no shame in asking, “What the heck is a starter pack again?” See you in the sky.
Photo courtesy of Bluesky
