Donald Trump’s victory in the last U.S. Presidential election was accompanied by a leakage of X users to Bluesky Social that some have dubbed “The Great Migration.”. The social network formerly known as Twitter would have demonstrated its usefulness as a lever of influence on public opinion helping to prop up the triumph of the American tycoon. It seems no coincidence that Elon Musk, owner of X, was a key player in Trump’s campaign, contributing more than just money to it, but also some tweaks to the algorithm to make Republican content more visible than Democratic content. For many, both that and the general state of tension and polarization on X was enough to encourage them to migrate to the alternative created by Jack Dorsey and open to all since the beginning of this year. Bluesky Social thus saw its mass of users increase notably in search of what Twitter once was and which they can no longer find. And yet, something tells me that they are still not going to find it.
Bluesky: it’s not you. It’s me and it’s a lot of us.
A nostalgic look at Twitter
In my case, I joined Twitter back in April 2009. I was late compared to the pioneers who opened their profiles in 2007, even though they had little use for them. But I arrived in time to join the platform when its usage codes were not written and most of the people who joined shared similar traits. We were professionals trying to connect with other colleagues and to open sincere and generous lines of communication. We wanted to dialogue, to disseminate, to solve. It was wonderful while the critical mass of people on Twitter kept it in a closed preserve where those of us in communications, marketing and journalism were free to roam.
Twitter generated various movements aimed at strengthening micro and macro communities. We went so far as to organize physical meetings to put faces to each other. They were very useful. I still keep in touch with many people from those years and some professional opportunities were forged in that context. Not even LinkedIn had the strength that Twitter has become as a tool for knowledge and networking.
For some of us, Twitter was also a perfect complement to something as key as the dynamization of our blogs. It was an agitator, an alarm for the arrival of fresh content. In addition, by competing with fewer publications than today’s, the chances of reaching further increased.
The polarization stage
However, the time came for the algorithm to change and the founders of Twitter, before the Musk era, felt that the social network could suggest better content than what you decided to consume. At the same time, the volume of users skyrocketed and the preeminence of viral posts based first on entertainment and then on politics began. Everything was ready for those of us who sought to learn and disseminate to be overtaken and obscured by those who hoped for attention and casito. Polarization was a matter of days.
In recent years, the algorithm has rewarded those who generated division and called for a virtual side. Whichever one it was. Phenomena such as the cancellation culture, cherry picking, fake news, disinformation and even “shitsification” have arrived in tweet form with catastrophic consequences for those of us who, once upon a time, were participative users, generating publications and getting involved in conversations.
Consequences for Bluesky
Many, like me, have become mere spectators. We read, we get angry, we applaud and, occasionally, we “like” a post in support. However, we avoid meaning. We dodge controversy and polemics by relying on silence and letting others expose themselves, but we also let them take over visibility. The codes we once gave to the old Twitter are no longer useful in the new one. We have changed as users: we read, but we don’t create. We are not for certain things.
The migration to Bluesky, as before to Mastodon or later to Threads, sought to return to the origins. This is impossible. That era is over. We have evolved and expect different things from networks. Creating a new community on a new social network requires considerable effort and the fear of X trolls landing in our backyard, as is already happening. We trust that the control mechanisms will work, but will they? There are opportunities, but they are not the same.
I can’t find the same experience I had on Twitter on Bluesky Social because I’m not the same person I was 15 years ago. We have all evolved. We’re wiser, smarter… more cowardly. Maybe, just maybe, we need to retreat to more intimate territories and start again at the base and not the roof. Maybe it’s time to reinforce newsletters or take up blogging again, to bring together, in a more exclusive exchange – not a dialogue – those with whom we really want to connect as professionals, without algorithms filtering what is recommended to read or not.
