If you're a Twitter user and its current functionality doesn't convince you, pay attention to Bluesky, the social network behind which is a familiar face in the social media industry: Jack Dorsey, one of Twitter's co-founders. Want to find out everything we know about this new social network? Below you'll find all the information we have about Bluesky.
The idea originated within Twitter itself, specifically with one of its co-founders and former CEO, Jack Dorsey. Furthermore, with Elon Musk's arrival at the helm, Dorsey and a group of entrepreneurs are working on a project that will give users maximum control over their accounts.
Twitter, the enemy to fight for Bluesky
Twitter has been online since 2006 , when Jack Dorsey sent his first tweet to the world . Throughout these years, the company has undergone many changes, both in its functions and in the comings and goings of its management.
It's common knowledge that Jack Dorsey resigned as CEO at the end of 2021. Although this wasn't his first resignation—he was ousted from the company in 2008 and returned in 2015—Dorsey believed, or so he stated in a press release, that the best way to allow the company to grow was to remove all its founders. And so it was done: Jack Dorsey stepped down from the executive role, making way for the then-CTO, Parag Agrawal, as CEO.
However, throughout 2019, Dorsey posted several messages on his Twitter account alluding to the need to create a more decentralized and free social network. At the very least, this would give users more freedom to decide aspects that are currently unavailable on Twitter. It was during these posts that some hints emerged that Bluesky was under consideration.
Leaving centralized networks aside and betting on decentralized networks
First, we need to understand what concepts like 'centralized social network' and 'decentralized social network' mean. Simply put: in the latter, the user has more control over content consumption, as well as over the use of their personal data within their created profile.
However, we will explain, with examples of centralized and decentralized networks, to give you a better idea of ​​where Bluesky wants to go.
Centralized social networks
Currently, the most powerful social networks are centralized social networks—Twitter included, of course. This means that while their implementation is much easier because there is only one central server and nodes that send connection requests—these nodes being our computers, for example—there are also disadvantages.
For example, if there's a cyberattack on that central server and its database is accessed, all user information is exposed . Furthermore, this server usually belongs to a company, so your data is at the mercy of those companies. To give you two examples: Facebook and Instagram store their data on Meta servers.
Decentralized social networks, Bluesky's ideal
Meanwhile, Bluesky and its developers believe that users should have more control over the data they share with the network . Therefore, they don't want a central server, but rather a network of servers, with no company involved. Furthermore, if one node fails or a server goes down, other users will still be able to use the social network. Regarding the possibility of a cyberattack, it's less likely that user data will be exposed—at least, not for all users of the service.
And with all this, throughout these years, the current Bluesky team has been working on a new transfer protocol that has been named AT Protocol –Authenticated Transfer Protocol– which is based on four concepts:
- Account portability
- Unlimited
- interoperability
- Algorithm –From the company they ensure that the user will be able to choose what type of ads they want to view, as well as recommendations based on personal tastes; no imposition by external companies–
To give you a recent example of a decentralized social network: Mastodon . This service doesn't depend on any private server; instead, it operates thanks to its community. Therefore, there are no owners involved, and users' personal account data isn't stored on private company servers that could use your data for other purposes.
Mastodon was the alternative that many Twitter users turned to when Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44.000 billion at the end of 2022. And, above all, because of the decisions he has recently made.
Appearance of Bluesky and how to access this new social network
Throughout the month of March, the Bluesky development team came to the forefront by announcing that the social network application was already available through the Apple app store – we assume that it will soon also be available for the Android platform.
Looking at the attached screenshots, we can see that Bluesky is very similar to Twitter. In fact, it features a timeline , the ability to attach images or GIFs, and the option to retweet . Furthermore, according to some specialized media outlets that have already accessed the social network, upon logging in for the first time, you'll be greeted with "What 's up? "
Similarly, for the time being, the only way to access the social network is by invitation, as BlueSky is currently in closed beta . Therefore, if you're tired of logging into Twitter—especially given Elon Musk's recent decisions—get in line and register through the social network's website. They will then send you an email with your login details. Below is the application—remember, it's only available for iPhone—called BlueSky Social:
Download Bluesky Social for iPhone