Bluesky, the decentralized app of Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, has been launched in private beta on iOS. It is very reminiscent of Twitter and could be the real alternative to the platform now owned by Elon Musk.
Let’s face it, the flight from Twitter in numbers has not occurred. And Mastodon has already lost its appeal, where users dropped in January. A sign that the search for a real alternative, after the arrival of Elon Musk as Twitter’s new owner, is not yet over.
And, among the many, the most eagerly awaited alternative, which has been talked about for some time and which involves the very former co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, who initially thought of it with Musk (what a short-circuit!), is Bluesky. And it was yesterday’s news that the decentralized version of Twitter, because that was originally supposed to be the case, was launched in iOS app format as a private beta, again by invitation only.
Following what TechCrunch reports, Bluesky does indeed look like Twitter starting with the timeline, not to mention the profile page. The feeling of being on Twitter is really real.
As mentioned, the Bluesky project was launched by Jack Dorsey, announced in a sere of tweets at the end of 2019, with the goal of creating a free and decentralized, thus independent, platform to allow anyone to use social media as a protocol, as tools that everyone can use freely. To make the idea more explicit, although now the Mastodon experience is more widespread for almost everyone, they talk about a kind of email-like protocol.
From the screenshots that have been circulated, we can see that Bluesky repurposes somewhat the dynamics si Twitter, there are comments, likes, retweets and, indeed, profiles. Not that it is new in the landscape of alternatives to Twitter that exist today, but it is the one that is most reminiscent of Twitter in terms of graphics as well. After all, the new future of Twitter was supposed to begin with this version.
Obviously, the San Francisco company’s handover to Tesla’s owner meant that launch plans were accelerated, so as to try to give a similar alternative to the original to the many disgruntled of Elon Musk’s Twitter 2.0.
Bluesky is based on its own open-source social protocol, called Authenticated Transfer Protocol, “AT Protocol” for short. To explain, in some ways, what we are talking about, it is worth bringing up Bluesky’s definition of itself as a “federated social network,” in which separate networks exist within a single hub. Exactly, it is very reminiscent of Mastodon’s technical idea.
AT Protocol is based on four principles, and they are: account portability, algorithm, performance, and interoperability. Based on these principles, it will be possible to easily transfer your account data to another Bluesky provider and, also, to have more control.
According to Jack Dorsey, Bluesky could help reduce the ability of large centralized platforms, such as Twitter, to have so much power in deciding which users and communities can express themselves and who is responsible for moderating content. A very sensitive issue at this time.
Theoretically, Twitter and Bluesky remain linked in some way, if for no other reason than a grant the San Francisco company made to Dorsey’s project of $13 million, before Elon Musk came along. But, in light of Musk’s stewardship it is unlikely to speculate that Musk himself would decide to give rise to a joint project. Instead, it appears that the two platforms are each going their separate ways independently.
Bluesky, after this phase in private beta, by invitation let’s remember it, seems intent on intensifying the propagation of the app’s openness and, evidently, things are now increasingly headed toward a final release.
On the app’s website you can still sign up today to get on the list, if you haven’t already done so.
At a time when the social media landscape is changing dramatically, with a gradual shift toward premium platforms that, in effect, give rise to a different kind of interaction and engagement, the arrival of Bluesky might seem like the ideal landing place for anyone looking for a platform where control of content is in the hands of users.
And then, given the difficulty that many have found in switching to Mastodon-type platforms, which are not easy for everyone to understand, Bluesky could be a kind of “hybrid” model, in proposing a new mode with an approach to the tool more suited to those looking for more immediate and rapid solutions.
We will see when Bluesky comes to Android as well, and at that point we can really try to make some assumptions about the longevity of the project, or not.