LOS ANGELES — The social media platform Bluesky has welcomed 1 million new users within a week following the recent U.S. elections, as many users from X explore alternative outlets to express their views and connect with others online.
As of Wednesday, Bluesky reported its user base had expanded to 15 million, a significant increase from approximately 13 million just before the end of October.
Founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky initially operated on an invite-only basis until it was made publicly accessible in February. This early phase allowed the platform to develop moderation tools and additional features effectively. Bluesky shares similarities with Elon Musk’s X, offering both a “discover” section and a chronological feed of accounts that users choose to follow. Key functionalities include the ability to send direct messages, pin posts, and access “starter packs” that curate suggested accounts and custom feeds.
The influx of users after the elections isn’t the first instance of Bluesky experiencing growth at X’s expense. For example, after X was banned in Brazil last August, Bluesky gained 2.6 million new users, with 85% originating from Brazil alone. Additionally, about 500,000 users joined in a single day last month when X announced that it would allow blocked accounts to view public posts.
While Bluesky is witnessing an upward trend, X reported last week that it had a strong hold on the conversation regarding the U.S. elections. X claimed a 15.5% increase in new user signups on Election Day, tallying a record-breaking 942 million global posts. Representatives from both platforms have not responded to requests for comments on these developments.
Bluesky has playfully acknowledged its rivalry with X, particularly during a recent post on X that referenced Musk observing election results alongside President-elect Donald Trump. Bluesky asserted, “I can guarantee that no Bluesky team members will be sitting with a presidential candidate tonight and giving them direct access to control what you see online.”
Many new users on Bluesky include journalists, progressive politicians, and celebrities who have shared memes and expressed a desire for a platform absent of advertisements and hate speech. Some have likened the experience to the early days of X when it was still operating as Twitter.
On Wednesday, The Guardian announced it would cease all posting on X, citing concerns over “far right conspiracy theories and racism” festering on the platform.
Last year, several advertisers, including IBM and NBCUniversal’s parent company Comcast, withdrew from X due to anxieties about their advertisements appearing alongside extremist content and hate speech, a situation exacerbated by Musk’s own posts that appeared to endorse an antisemitic conspiracy theory.