Bluesky Gains Traction as Users Leave X Over Political Bias and Moderation Concerns

The growing social media platform has surpassed 22 million users, but faces challenges with moderation, impersonation, and compliance as it scales.

Bluesky's user base has surged from 12 million in October to over 22 million following the U.S. presidential election, driven by dissatisfaction with X's perceived politicization under Elon Musk's ownership.
The platform, created by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, offers a user experience reminiscent of 'old Twitter' with curated feeds and no algorithm-driven content prioritization.
Bluesky has seen higher engagement rates than X and Threads for certain publications and communities, despite its smaller user base and limited resources.
Challenges include an increase in impersonation, harmful content, and moderation issues, prompting Bluesky to expand its safety team and update its policies on account verification and content moderation.
The platform is also addressing compliance concerns with the EU's Digital Services Act and plans to introduce monetization features such as subscriptions and financial transactions by the end of the year.