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Culture > Digital

What Is Bluesky & How Is It Different From X? Here’s The Tea

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Courtney Lemkin

There have been some mixed feelings about the app X, formerly known as Twitter, ever since the social media platform was bought by Elon Musk in 2022. Since then, many have flocked to some of the alternative platforms out there that have similar functions as X. You’re probably already familiar with Threads, Instagram’s text-based social platform that was introduced in 2023, but this isn’t the only X competitor making waves lately.

ICYMI, a platform called Bluesky is all the rage right now. It started as a research initiative in 2019 by the former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Then in February 2023, Bluesky became a legit social media platform, with users only being allowed to join by invite only. By the time it launched publicly in February 2024, the app already had over 3 million users. 
Now, it’s going viral. According to a Nov. 14 USA Today article, Bluesky has seen approximately 2.5 million new signups in the past week, resulting in the platform now having over 16 million users. It doesn’t take a tech genius to figure out why the sudden interest in the app; people are leaving X/Twitter en masse in the wake of the presidential election, with many citing President-elect Donald Trump’s win — and X CEO Elon Musk’s support of Trump — as their reason for signing off and making the switch.

As of Nov. 15, Bluesky is currently topping the chart as No. 1 under the social networking category on the App Store, so it is clearly trending. This app has even gained attention from celebrities and public figures who have created accounts with Bluesky, including Lizzo, Quinta Brunson, Mark Cuban, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

So, what should Bluesky users expect from the platform? Here’s what to know.

How Does Bluesky Compare To X/Twitter?

Just like X, on Bluesky, you can post short text-based posts that can contain videos and photos with a 256 character limit — except here, these posts are called “skeets.” You can also like and repost other skeets and reply to other users. There is a direct message feature as well. 

A big difference between the two platforms is the fact that Bluesky is decentralized, which essentially means that users can create their own independent servers where they can store data, instead of servers being owned by the company. According to Forbes, the app also has a moderation team to enforce community guidelines that forbid the use of “hate or extremist conduct,” a prominent criticism of X/Twitter since it was taken over by Musk. 

How to Sign Up for Bluesky

To sign up, simply go to Bsky.app or head over to the App Store or Google Play Store to download the app. From there you can create an account by entering your email address, a custom password, and your date of birth. Then you will be selected to create a username for your account — and you’re in!

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Courtney Lemkin is a National Contributing Writer for Her Campus. She writes articles for the lifestyle and career vertical where she gives advice relating to academics, campus life, and more. She is a graduate student at Adelphi University, earning her MA in educational theatre with a concentration in English education. She is a graduate of St. John's University where she majored in communication arts with a concentration in media management and minored in English. During her time at St. John's, she was the vice president of the campus' multimedia organization and also has prior editorial experience writing for College Magazine. She later became an editor for the online publication, then worked her way up to social media coordinator / newsletter editor, and eventually held the position of editor in chief. In her free time, Courtney enjoys anything related to the arts and loves going to see Broadway plays.