What is Bluesky and why do Twitter users think it’s a good alternative?

In recent days there was a file Great expectations about Blueskywhich is a new social media platform Twitter is considered 2.0. Notable Twitter users like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen have signed up.

others Thousands are begging for invitations. Some Twitter users have been looking for an alternative social platform ever since Elon Musk bought the company last year and subsequently switched over the service. Bluesky users say the app — which was funded by one of Twitter’s co-founders, Jack Dorsey — has come closest to mimicking the tone and feel of Twitter. Here’s what you need to know about it.

Bluesky is a social network that offers many of the basic features of Twitter. Users can Post short text and photo updates, reply to each other, and share other people’s posts. The app, which is still in development, was made available for iOS devices in February and for Android this month.

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber noted in a blog post last month that it’s no coincidence that the app looks like Twitter. but Unlike Twitter, Bluesky plans to be a decentralized system, meaning that people will be able to create their own apps and communities within it..

Graber says it’s designed that way No single individual can create rules for the entire Bluesky community. The social network also works with an “open protocol”. This is unusual because social media platforms have traditionally been walled gardens, meaning that what is posted on individual platforms stays on that platform alone.

For example, your tweets appear on Twitter and your photos appear on Instagram, but you can’t cross post to those social networks. but As Bluesky tries to be more open, it may one day allow posts to flow between different social media platforms easily.. Last month, a Bluesky user speculated that the app’s name came from Dorsey’s desire to turn Twitter into an open protocol, launching Twitter’s mascot into a blue sky. Dorsey replied, “Yes.”

Bluesky is still in the development phase, and at the moment, It can only be accessed by invitation. Graber explained in a post on the platform last month that the app is building moderation tools before opening up to the general public. To register, you need an invitation code from the current user.

Since Musk bought Twitter, he has transformed the service by removing restrictions on online expression on the platform and adjusting its verification practices. This has caused some confusion among users, in addition to a A rise in misinformation and hate speech on the platform. As a result, the Twitter users have tried other alternatives. In recent months, some have migrated to Mastodon, another decentralized social media platform that it said aims to be a “viable alternative to Twitter.”

Bluesky was initially limited to a small group of tech-savvy people. On Thursday, several high-profile Twitter accounts and public figures — including Ocasio-Cortez, Teigen and social media star Drill — joined the platform, creating a buzz around it. Bluesky users seem to be amused by the app’s similarities to Twitter, such as calling the app’s posts “skeets‘, as a play on words with the tweets. Graber’s request for a name change didn’t seem to deter them on Thursday.

© The New York Times 2023