Bluesky

Bluesky is a decentralised social network with a familiar microblogging interface. Users post short messages, images and videos, follow others, reply and repost, much like the Twitter of earlier years, but the network is built on an open protocol called the AT Protocol that gives users and developers more control. Its origin is unusual. Bluesky began as a project initiated inside Twitter to explore a decentralised standard for social media, then became an independent public benefit company. It opened to the public in early 2024 and grew quickly during periods when many users were looking for alternatives to X, attracting journalists, scientists, artists, writers and public figures. The protocol enables features that centralised platforms do not offer. Custom feeds let anyone build and share algorithms - for example, a feed of posts about a niche topic or from people you mutually follow - so users choose how their timeline is curated instead of accepting one algorithm. Moderation is composable: Bluesky provides its own moderation, and users can subscribe to additional labelling services run by others. Accounts are portable, meaning users can move their data and followers to a different provider without starting over, and custom domain handles let people verify their identity using a website they own. Starter packs help newcomers find people to follow. Because the protocol is open, an ecosystem of third-party apps, feeds and tools has grown around it. The trade-offs include a smaller audience than the largest platforms, and the reality that most users still rely on Bluesky's own infrastructure, so decentralisation is more potential than practice for many. Alternatives include X, the largest network of its kind; Threads, Meta's text-based network connected to Instagram; Mastodon, a federated network based on ActivityPub with independently run servers; LinkedIn for professional networking; Reddit for topic-based communities; and Discord for real-time community chat. Choose Bluesky when you want a familiar social feed with user control over algorithms and moderation, on an open protocol.