X in danger ? New social network Bluesky could overtake it

Owned by billionaire and new US Minister Elon Musk, X seems to be losing an impressive popularity rate. The reason: the rise of a brand new social network, Bluesky.

The presidential election that brought Donald Trump to power is still the talk of the town. With the recent appointment of Elon Musk (boss of Tesla and SpaceX) as Secretary of State for Economic Efficiency, government, things are changing, including where you least expect it. The new title of the American millionaire, as surprising as it is debated, reshuffles the cards concerning the popularity of the social network X.

Often criticized for the virulence of its users or the prominent place given to disinformation and far-right activism, X is not very comfortable at the end of 2024. Because it has been a well of hatred and torment for several years, users have chosen to turn their backs on it and prefer a completely different network: Bluesky.

The crazy rise of a young platform

Created in 2021, Bluesky has only been accessible to the public since last February. Although recent, the network has seen its number of users skyrocket in recent months, with a notable spike since the election of Donald Trump in early November. Indeed, nearly two million new Internet users have visited the platform, bringing the total number of users to 15 million. As a reminder, “only” 9 million accounts had been created in September 2024.

If Bluesky has become so popular, it is for the more peaceful and respectful character of its community, which ultimately recalls the beginnings of Twitter. Developed by Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, the platform allows you to share posts more peacefully, without fear of the risk of insult or repression. 

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The defector to Bluesky appears to be an eminently political message: that of protest against the Republican, homophobic and racist ideology of Elon Musk. It is therefore not surprising to note that the social network with the blue butterfly attracts mainly Americans, disillusioned by the election of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States.

Despite the popularity Bluesky's growing following, the small network is still far from surpassing its predecessors, with Threads boasting 275 million monthly active users as of November, compared to X's 619 million.

What is Bluesky ?

Like X, Bluesky allows users to post messages, as well as like, reply to, and repost others' messages. Its structure is similar to the one under Musk's leadership, but one major difference distinguishes the two adversaries. 

Any Bluesky user can identify in advance the content they consider undesirable, thus avoiding witnessing violent or sexual content. Moderation is much more advanced than on X, with Elon Musk promoting freedom of expression “without any limits”, even if it means allowing neo-Nazi or pornographic accounts to exist.

Interviewed by The Guardian, social media researcher Axel Bruns argues that the blue butterfly app has "become a haven for people who want the kind of social media experience that Twitter once offered, without all the far-right activism, misinformation, hate speech, bots and all the rest".

A tool for propaganda and disinformation, X is abandoned by more and more users, including big names like The Guardian. The famous British newspaper announced a few days ago that it was suspending his account, judging Musk's platform to be “an amplifier of hate”. Musk's character, more exposed than ever following his latest nomination, is playing for big money by climbing the ranks alongside Donald Trump.