I should give some context first. I was not an active member of any social media site before I joined Bluesky (or Bsky for short). I only joined because if I was gonna commentate on The Internet: it’s culture, it’s history, and it’s future; then it only made sense to put my money where my mouth is so to speak and join a site. I joined Bsky in particular because it had recently gone open access, ditching invitation codes. If the site was to become popular (which it did), I’d be able to claim I was there before many of its users (although those who joined during invite are better candidates for OG status).
[Censored original screen name for privacy reasons]
The site, being an offshoot of Twitter, builds upon the original’s UX/UI design. From the basic interaction structure (on every post you can either Like, Repost, Quote Post or Comment), to how shit the site looks on desktop; it has pretty much everything Twitter had circa 2019. This comes with its drawbacks, but the main selling point of Bsky was never UX (nor was that Twitter’s main issue).
Instead Bsky’s Unique Selling Point (USP) is the AT Protocol. The AT Protocol is the underlying way posts get sent to and from servers, and it (along with the rest of Bsky’s code) is open source; meaning that anyone could (in theory) set up their own platforms atop the AT Protocol. We’ll get back to how open and decentralised Bsky actually is in a bit, but first I’d like to talk about Bsky’s userbase, the thing that ultimately will shape your experience with the site.
It is an undeniable fact that Bsky’s userbase leans left wing. The site does contain a few right wing accounts, like noted Transphobe @jessesingal.com, but the site’s population generally ranges from the centre-left (@democrats.org) to Revolutionary Anarchists (Me) and Communists (@genderhorizon.com). Some people (primarily right wing outlets and influencers) would consider this to be an issue, but sites generally tend to attract userbases of various types. Twitter, for example, was used primarily by public figures from across the world; Tumblr was used primarily by queer people and members of fandoms; and 4Chan was used primarily by right libertarian leaning users (although the site infamously housed everyone from Nazis to Gooners). It’s a natural result of a site gaining a core userbase, and should be treated as such. Me personally, I like the enclave of Homestuck fans on the site, and how nice the community is.
Getting back to the AT protocol, the protocol has gotten criticism due to being perceived as centralised compared to the rival protocol ActivityPub (powering Mastodon). To some extent, this is a reasonable concern; as other social media have shown, centralisation will let sites deteriorate and bad actors take the platform’s reins. But the seeming centralisation of the AT Protocol is more due to it’s young age than design flaws. ActivityPub has had years to grow a community of independent instances and AT Protocol is beginning to develop that ecosystem (nicknamed the Atmosphere). For example, deer.social is an alternate frontend (or appview) that unlocks additional options and is green (my 3rd fav).
The site’s Trust and Safety team hasn’t exactly helped ease people’s anxieties about the site going down the enshitification path. I was looking at a post by @anarchonbury.bsky.social about BDS when I noticed a reply was hidden. Being curious, I clicked to see that the account had been labeled as “Rude”, which they apparently got from being mass flagged as such. This is a rather concerning issue, especially since the option was hidden on the moderation team’s page. If it gets abused, it could become a major problem.
Ultimately, Bsky is still in the gestation period. It could become a truly decentralised social layer, or it could become yet another social media platform with a glorified api and open source code (which is at least a bit better than closed source sites like Instagram). I hope for the former.
And prepare for the latter.