While Bluesky might have started under Twitter (now X) and may have a similar user interface, the underlying tech and concept is very different. From origins to how to sign up, here's everything you need to know about Bluesky. Since Donald Trump’s landslide victory in the US election, X (formerly Twitter) users have been flocking to alternate social media platforms, with Bluesky being one of the biggest winners. The decentralized social media, which ironically originated as a project under Jack Dorsey at Twitter, recently gained more than a million new users, reaching its all-time user base of 15 million. If you are thinking of quitting X and are looking for an alternate social media platform, here’s everything you need to know about Bluesky.

It is an alternative platform to Elon Musk's X and in terms of its colour and logo, it looks quite similar. Bluesky is growing rapidly and is currently picking up around one million new sign-ups a day. Launched in 2023 in its beta stage, Bluesky was initially a research project aimed at decentralizing social media, conceived by Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, in 2019. In a surprising turn, Bluesky co-founder Jack Dorsey has distanced himself from the platform, resigning from its board in May 2023 and deleting his account. Dorsey, who once criticized Musk’s leadership of X, now supports the platform, calling it "freedom technology" and emphasizing its potential for open discourse.

Despite this, Bluesky continues to thrive, with its decentralized model appealing to those seeking more control over their online experiences. The platform promotes an alternative to billionaire-led decisions on content, with Bluesky’s website stating, “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see.”This position appears to be a direct critique of Musk’s management of X. Users can also follow accounts to curate their timelines and send direct messages. A notable difference is Bluesky's more effective blocking system, which has attracted users frustrated by X’s recent changes to its block feature, now allowing blocked users’ posts to remain visible.

Unlike popular social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, Bluesky is not a single product or service, but rather a set of standards and protocols that can be used by developers and communities in their own way. This means you can either use Bluesky’s own servers or opt to create and host your very own personal server to host your Bluesky account. The main distinction between Bluesky and many other social media platforms is its decentralized structure. Unlike traditional platforms, Bluesky operates on independent servers rather than those controlled by a single company.

The rise of Bluesky represents a new chapter in the ongoing evolution of social media. While X is still a dominant force, its user base is clearly disillusioned by the chaotic changes under Musk’s leadership. If Bluesky continues to grow and improve, it could very well spark the beginning of an "exodus" from X, particularly among those seeking a more open, decentralized, and user-controlled platform. The future of social media is in flux, and Bluesky could very well be the spark that lights the way forward.