In the wake of the recent U.S. presidential election, social media platform Bluesky is witnessing a remarkable influx of users departing from X (formerly Twitter). The decentralized platform's user base has expanded from 9 million in September to over 14.6 million as of Tuesday, with a notable acceleration occurring post-election weekend.
The migration's impact became evident as Bluesky briefly claimed the second spot on the U.S. App Store's rankings on Monday, jumping from position 27 just after the elections. The platform is currently holding strong at number three, positioned behind Meta's Threads and ChatGPT.
Daily growth statistics paint an impressive picture, with approximately 100,000 new users joining Bluesky each day. The platform reported welcoming one million fresh accounts in the past week alone, primarily from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Bluesky's download numbers tell a compelling story - showing a staggering 933% year-to-date growth compared to X's 48%, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures. The platform saw a 624% increase in downloads between November 1 and November 10.
Emily Lu, a Bluesky team member, noted that new users span diverse communities, from Swifties to sports enthusiasts and journalists. Users report experiencing higher quality engagement on Bluesky compared to other platforms, despite potentially having smaller follower counts.
The exodus appears linked to X owner Elon Musk's platform direction since his $44 billion acquisition in 2022. While initially promising a free-speech haven, X has faced criticism for promoting right-wing views and showing increased account suspension rates, as reflected in the platform's own transparency reports.
Bluesky's architecture offers unique features that set it apart from traditional social platforms. Users can create custom algorithms, personalized feeds, and choose their preferred moderation services. The platform's decentralized nature allows users to run the social software on their own servers, providing greater control over their social media experience.
This latest user migration suggests a growing shift away from X's politically charged environment, potentially challenging its position as the self-proclaimed "global town square" for public discourse.