Bluesky User Surge Follows Election Amid Trump’s Return and Musk’s Political Role
Blue Sky
Bluesky, a social media platform, has seen a significant increase in user sign-ups since the election, as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House. Elon Musk, who owns social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has been assigned a new advisory role by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) following Trump’s re-election. The search for alternative platforms such as Bluesky has become more intense due to Musk’s collaboration with Trump and his more lenient content moderation policies on X.
Bluesky: The Alternative Platform Gaining Traction
Jack Dorsey, who used to lead Twitter, founded Bluesky in 2019 and it became publicly traded in February 2024. Bluesky was created as a replacement for X and aims to provide users with more control over their online presence and content. Unlike X’s centralized approach, Bluesky’s decentralized model empowers developers to create and customize their own spaces, while users can engage without the constraints of a singular platform-determined experience.
“Unlike other closed platforms, Bluesky is an open social network that gives users choice, developers the freedom to build, and creators independence from platforms,” said Bluesky spokesperson Emily Liu in a statement to USA Today.
Who Owns Bluesky?
Jay Graber is the CEO of Bluesky, and the board includes tech pioneers such as Jeremie Miller, who invented Jaof Blue Skydirt founder Mike Masnick, and Blockchain Capital’s Kinjalthe several high-profile figures to express their concernst has since grown in independence and fully separated from Twitter in 2022.
Celebrities Depart X in Favor of Bluesky
Musk’s relaxed approach to content regulation on X has caused several high-profile figures to express their concerns. Celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon have made announcements about leaving X and searching for Bluesky’s open, user-centered environment. According to reports, X saw over 115,000 account deactivations, the highest volume of account deactivations since Musk acquired the platform.
What’s Next for Bluesky?
The growth of Bluesky since the election suggests that its model of decentralization and user autonomy is being embraced by those looking for an alternative to Musk’s X. The rise in popularity of Bluesky is indicative of an increasing trend of users adopting decentralized, open platforms as Musk’s new position in Trump’s administration cements his influence in shaping digital discourse.
