Users are leaving X. Here’s where they are heading

Donald Trump's US election victory and Elon Musk's support for Trump on X (formerly Twitter) have led some users to seek alternative social media platforms. 

Musk's promotion of Trump's agenda and X's shift toward the political right have caused dissatisfaction among certain users. 

As a result, Bluesky, a new social network similar to X, has gained popularity among those migrating away from X.

What is Bluesky and how does it work?

Bluesky is a social media platform that offers similar features to X, Facebook, and Instagram, such as creating profiles, following accounts, liking and sharing posts, and sending private messages. 

It also allows users to explore different feeds based on their interests, like traditional feeds or topic-based ones such as science or gardening.

Originally launched as a project by Jack Dorsey in 2019, Bluesky aimed to create a decentralised, open-source social networking protocol. This would allow different social networks to interact with each other, offering users more freedom and competition. 

In 2021, Bluesky became a company and developed the AT Protocol.

Will it be the next Twitter?

According to a Bloomberg report, Bluesky has around 15 million total users and has added more than 1.25 million new sign-ups since the US election on 5 November. It is uncertain whether Bluesky will become the next Twitter.

Although it is growing, the platform remains much smaller than X, which is seeing a surge in usage. Other competitors, like Meta's Threads with 275 million monthly users, are also emerging.