The day after the 2024 US election, over 1 million people signed up to BlueSky. Since then, the app has grown to 17 million users*.
In this blog, we’ll review some of the reasons why people are leaving X/Twitter in droves as well as our advice for brands looking to navigate the changing landscape on social.
Why are people leaving X/Twitter?
Musk’s Takeover
In 2022, Elon Musk made an aggressive bid for Twitter, the world’s 5th-most visited website for $44 billion.
Shortly after his successful takeover, Musk immediately fired several staff members and set about making fundamental and rapid changes to the platform, aiming to create “the world’s town square”. These changes included firing over 1,000 staff dedicated to moderating extreme content with no plans to rebuild the team, stating “safety” was a euphemism for “censorship”.
Since then, the platform has become a hub for violence, harassment and misinformation due to a lack of proper regulation and safe guarding policies.
Difficulty for Advertisers
Since 2022, advertisers have found it increasingly difficult to find a place on Twitter/X. The lack of accurate targeting, rising number of bots, and risk of seeing their creative appear next to unsavoury imagery and hate speech have led many to have a “lights on” only approach.
For many of our clients, we’ve recommended pausing all paid campaigns due to lack of consistency.
Election Interference
Fast forward to 2024, many users have expressed a deep concern of Musk’s belligerent support and close relationship with President-Elect Donald Trump. Fearing for the far-reaching influence the platform could have, The Guardian newspaper has been one of the first key figures to declare a definitive stance on the platform, stating:
“The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.”
AI Scraping
On Friday 15th November, a new set of Terms and Conditions were released to users on X. They state that the platform can financially sue users over breaking certain laws and removing the choice to opt out of X’s AI training programme. As a result, many artists, writers and creatives have pledged to leave the platform for other choices, including BlueSky, by this date.
What is BlueSky?
BlueSky is a microblogging platform that is very similar to Twitter in it’s function, look and feel. Originally founded by Jack Dorsey, the original founder of Twitter, it is now ran by a board of directors led by American Lantian "Jay" Graber.
The appeal of BlueSky appears to lie in it’s similarity to Twitter, as well as, being non-Meta owned as users search for the early days of impartiality and audience-driven trends.
Should brands move to BlueSky?
Whilst in the early days of the platform, BlueSky appears to have better longevity than it’s rival Threads, as the slow and steady uptake puts the platform in a good position to takeover.
5 things to consider if you’re thinking about BlueSky
Secure your handle
Whilst you might not be ready to post regularly yet, it’s a good idea to secure your brand’s handle so that you can own the name.
Collaborate first
If you’re keen to test the platform, research any creators you would normally collaborate with who have made a head-start on the platform. As an early partnership, you have the chance to stand out with good content in a new space, so be creative!
Watch and learn
Initially, the audience moving to BlueSky are the opposite of Elon Musk’s core demographic, so this should be taken into consideration. The audience is more likely to be interested in equality, the arts and a generally positive atmosphere. If you have any content that would resonate with this audience, consider testing your content on the channel.
Give before you take
Take time to scope out your ideal audience on BlueSky before posting content. This could be Creators, Starter Packs (groups curated by individuals, similar to Lists on Twitter/X) or discovering new Feeds. Learning about your audience, as well as the culture or personality of BlueSky will help your content land more authentically when you do choose to post.
Monitor and engage
Once you start posting, monitor your account regularly to respond to comments and messages. Engage with your audience by liking, sharing, and replying to their posts. Building relationships with your followers will help you foster a loyal community around your brand.
If you’d like a chat about launching on BlueSky as well as any personal recommendations for your brand, we’d love to hear from you.
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