Out of all the potential Twitter replacements that have been popularized since Elon Musk took over, Bluesky is my favorite.
It is decentralized and currently invite-only, which obviously means that this platform will change as it evolves — that should go without saying.
But what I like about Bluesky right now is its zeitgeist and openness.
I suppose that as a former Twitter blue check, I would naturally gravitate toward Bluesky. The prestige of the Twitter blue check, before the Musk takeover, was that it couldn’t be bought. An invite to Bluesky can’t be bought right now either, and I honestly think that’s part of the appeal. It’s a smart gamble.
It’s understandable that things would change at Twitter. For one thing, its price tag was inflated — and this would impact operations going forward.
For another thing, Musk and his friends just seem like people who crave approval in spite of their wealth. It’s very easy to get approval by capitalizing on very divisive and sensitive issues; it creates a comfortable feedback loop. Sensationalism and controversy have always spread extremely well on Twitter, and coupled with past mismanagement issues, the place is now a particularly chaotic swirl of the kind of disinformation that Musk personally gravitates toward — just look at the recent vaccine debacle.
I wouldn’t say that Twitter is strictly unusable now, it is just a lot. By contrast, Bluesky is simply friendlier.
In fact, it’s the friendly, goofy, and nerdy aspect of Bluesky that is even more appealing than its current exclusivity. It’s a place where I feel justified in posting about my current obsession with Dorilocos and my cat photos. The humor that can make Twitter amazing and wonderful is also present, but in a less biting form. As the youngs say, Bluesky hits different.
The comparatively relaxed atmosphere on Bluesky is especially salient to me when I look at happiness trends.
Just check out depressive symptoms among kids, conveniently published on Twitter. Notice how depression took off in 2013, as social media became more and more easily accessible and our phones more ubiquitous. I don’t think that’s necessarily a coincidence.
Half of teens now say they don't enjoy life. pic.twitter.com/D10R4e7Pdz
— Jonah Davids (@jonahdavids1) June 20, 2023
It’s not just the problem of looking at a damn screen all day, it’s also the kind of information we’re consuming and how we’re choosing to interact as we debate it. Bad news travels quickly. Pretty pictures can create unrealistic expectations. Dehumanizing someone is much easier online.
So as much as I love Bluesky, it has also been a good reminder of how limiting screen time overall is helpful to us. Bluesky is small right now, I can’t scroll it all of the time. I run out of information. I put my phone down. I become more aware of my own limits.
With all of the horrifying things happening in the world, including my native country of Ukraine, staying connected all of the time can feel like a duty. As if wearing yourself out until you’re completely useless to everyone is noble. It can feel noble in the moment, but it can be a trap.
My relatives don’t need social media to reach me. My most important conversations take place elsewhere. So do my happiest moments.
A smaller, more self-contained and less mercurial social media landscape may just be what many of us need right now.
Again, Bluesky will change. Nothing gold can stay, and so on.
But until it does, I hope you get your invite soon, and I hope to see you there.
Image: ANANYA ANAND