Discover how Bluesky, a ‘blockchain’-decentralized social media platform, is rewriting the rules of online connection and innovation—leaving Meta‘s Threads struggling to keep up.
While many quickly draw comparisons between Bluesky and X, placing this rising star in the same league as Elon Musk’s powerhouse is far too early.
Instead, Bluesky competes with platforms like Mastodon and Threads, carving out a unique identity in the process.
But make no mistake: Bluesky isn’t just another social media experiment. It’s a disruptive force, born from the vision of Twitter’s ex-CEO Jack Dorsey, and it’s shaking up the social media landscape like never before.
Its secret weapon? A decentralized framework powered by its status as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC)—a model that prioritizes user empowerment over corporate control.
This platform is impossible for marketers, creators, and tech enthusiasts to ignore.
Imagine a social network growing so rapidly that it’s making Meta break a sweat. Envision a digital space where users truly hold the reins, free from the constraints of centralized algorithms.
This isn’t just competition for Meta—it’s a rebellion.
As Bluesky rises, Threads struggles to find its footing. So, what makes Bluesky such a game-changer? And why should you care?
Let’s dive in and uncover how this decentralized dynamo is reshaping the future of social media.
Welcome to the Future of Decentralized Social Media
Bluesky, the decentralized brainchild once linked to Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, is tearing through the social media landscape like a storm in a trailer park.
And guess who’s feeling the wind? None other than Meta’s Threads.
Bluesky isn’t just another flash in the pan. It’s a glimpse into the future of online interaction.
It’s about giving users back power, creating authentic connections, and building a digital world that people want to be part of.
Here’s why:
User Empowerment on Steroids
Forget being a cog in the machine. Bluesky puts you in the driver’s seat:
- You Own Your Data: No more corporate overlords hoarding your info. Your data, your rules.
- Algorithmic Freedom: Choose your own adventure with custom feeds—no more force-fed content.
- Censorship-Resistant: Express yourself without fear of the ban hammer.
Authentic Connections, Not Just Likes
Bluesky’s building a digital world you’ll actually want to hang out in:
- Quality Over Quantity: Say goodbye to bot armies and hello to real conversations.
- Community-Driven Moderation: Users shape the rules, not faceless admins.
- Interoperability: Your social identity follows you across platforms. No more starting from scratch.
A Digital World Built for Humans, Not Algorithms
Bluesky’s reimagining how we connect online:
- No Ads, No Tracking: Your attention isn’t for sale.
- Open-Source Transparency: See under the hood and trust what you’re using.
- Decentralized Infrastructure: No single point of failure or control.
This isn’t just tech talk. It’s about creating a social media landscape that respects your privacy, fosters genuine connections, and puts you back in control of your online experience.
The future of social media is knocking. Are you ready to answer?
The Bluesky Numbers Don’t Lie (And They’re Pretty Good)
When was it founded and funded? And by who? Let’s break it down, shall we?
The Birth of Rebel Bluesky
- Founded: October 2021
- Mastermind: Jay Graber (CEO and largest shareholder)
- Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Show Me the Money – I Am Talking Here
- Seed Round: $8 million (July 2023)
- Series A: $15 million (October 2024)
- Total Funding: A cool $23 million
Who’s Betting on This Bird?
- Blockchain Capital (Lead investor in Series A)
- Neo (Lead investor in Seed round)
- Alumni Ventures, True Ventures, SevenX
- Notable individuals like Joe Beda (Kubernetes co-creator)
Inside The Board Room
- Jay Graber (CEO)
- Jeremie Miller
- Mike Masnick
- Kinjal Shah (Blockchain Capital)
User Growth That’s Making Zuck’s Head Spin
- 13 million users in October 2024
- Skyrocketed to 20 million by November 2024
The Business Plan (or Lack Thereof)
- Bluesky is not making a dime, but they have plans for subscriptions and creator monetization.
- There will be no ads or “enshittification” (their words, not mine).
Here’s the Kicker – Bluesky Is a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC)
Bluesky’s not just another tech startup. It’s a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). That’s why you should investigate it.
What does that mean? Some billionaires can’t buy it out with a god complex. Sorry, Bill Gates.
Bluesky’s browser version has already left Threads in the dust. But that’s old news. The real story is the Bluesky app, which has exploded to 3.5 million daily active users.
For those keeping score at home, that puts it just 1.5 times behind Threads. Not bad for the new kid on the block.
Remember when Threads had 5x Bluesky’s active users at the start of the month? Yeah, those were the good old days… for Meta.
In perspective? As of Q3 2024, Facebook has approximately 3.08 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
Bluesky? Has no installed base like Facebook.
Meta’s Predictions for the Metaverse? Don’t Get High On Your Own Supply, Zuck!
While Bluesky’s star rises, Meta’s looks more like a black hole. Let’s recap their greatest hits (or should we say, misses?):
- The Metaverse Debacle: Zuckerberg’s grand vision? It’s more like a grand delusion. $11 billion down the drain, and 11,000 employees showed the door. Ouch.
- Zuckerberg predicted Metaverse would become a platform with “1 billion-plus people.”
- The Metaverse failed to gain traction, with low user engagement.
- Reality Labs division reported $3.85 billion in losses for Q1 2024.
- Cumulative losses since 2020 exceeded $45 billion.
- Meta lost $200 billion in market value after the Q1 2024 earnings call.
- Some observers declared the Metaverse “dead” in 2023.
- Major companies abandoned their Metaverse initiative.
Honestly? Don’t get high on your own supply, Zuck. Remember, Zuckerberg stole Facebook from the Winklevoss twins and settled for $60 million.
I wrote before Why Facebook’s Meta-Morphose Is A Mega Misstep by Mark Zuckerberg?
Threads’ Threadbare Performance: Started with a bang, now barely a whimper. Is it being outpaced by a newcomer? That’s another painful blow to Mark Zuckerberg.
It seems everything Facebook touches these days turns to dust instead of gold. Midas in reverse, anyone?
Zuckerberg‘s strategy appears to be a “master class in distraction,” reshaping the corporate narrative to avoid accountability for ongoing issues with Meta’s platforms.
His grand visions for the future seem designed to shift attention away from present problems, potentially misleading shareholders and the public about the company’s actual directions and challenges.
Zuckerberg lies about almost everything, from his censoring to his lies about his $400 million donation to Biden in 2020. Donald Trump recently called him Weirdo Mark Zuckerberg for a reason.
Like no other, Trump senses Zuckerberg’s election interference and betrayal. Trump will not forgive Zuckerberg for it.
Why Should Marketers Give a Damn About Bluesky?
Yes! The above is a promotion for a blockchain social media manager on Fiverr.
Fiverr is a platform where freelancers can list their services, known as “Gigs,” including anything from graphic design, writing, and programming to digital marketing, video editing, and more.
Adapt or be left in the digital dust. The social media landscape is shifting faster than you can say “algorithm update.” Bluesky is leading the charge, challenging the status quo, and rewriting the rules of engagement.
Don’t be caught napping while the next big thing takes flight. Why else should marketers care:
- Explosive Growth: Bluesky’s adding users faster than a rabbit on Red Bull. Get in now, or forever hold your peace.
- Decentralized Power: Custom algorithmic feeds mean your content hits the bullseye, not just the general vicinity.
- Brand Safety: Less fake news, less hate speech, more control. It’s like social media with a safety net.
- User Trust: When users feel in control, they engage more. It’s not rocket science, folks.
- First Mover Advantage: The early bird gets the worm, and now, Bluesky’s serving up a feast.
- Innovative Content Playground: Diverse formats and user-controlled moderation? It’s a creative marketer’s dream come true.
- Ethical Data Use: Privacy-respecting, personalized campaigns. Because not being creepy is the new black.
Lying Legacy Media and Elon Musk Haters Predicted: “Mastodon Will Destroy X.”
When Elon Musk acquired Twitter and rebranded it as X, the legacy media and specific journalists (dubbed “deep state journalists” by many ) predicted the platform’s demise.
Musk paid $44 billion for free speech and risked his company and life. The clever guy wrote off a $25 billion loss. His chess skills must be insane. He is always five steps ahead of the game.
The deep-state journalists who had lied us into lockdowns, curfews, and deadly jabs foresaw a mass exodus of X users to alternative platforms like Mastodon.
They stated, “People would all leave X, and X would crumble under Musk’s controversial changes to promote free speech.
What Actually Happened?
- X’s User Base: Despite the dire predictions, X (Twitter) is strong, with 335.7 million monthly active users (MAU) in 2024. That’s a slight dip from its peak of 368.4 million in 2022, but let’s be honest: a mere 5.14% decrease isn’t exactly the doomsday scenario the legacy media foretold.
- Musk said X had grown to 600 million users. Now, total users and MAUs can differ, obviously, so let’s look at the bigger picture and not get nitty-gritty.
- Mastodon’s Rise and Shine (But Not Too Brightly): Mastodon saw a surge in users post-Musk acquisition, but let’s not get carried away. From 300,000 users in 2022, it grew to over 1.7 million MAUs, a figure that, while impressive, pales compared to X’s numbers.
Debunking the Hype:
- The ‘Great Migration’: There was a slight move to Mastodon, especially among those who felt Twitter was losing its charm under Musk’s helm. But calling it a ‘great migration’ is like saying a few people moving to a new neighborhood signals the end of the entire city. Mastodon’s growth is at 1.7 million MAUs. That’s a network, but it’s not very social.
- Media’s Misstep: Legacy media, once the gatekeepers of information, seemed to have missed the mark here. They thought Musk’s changes would be the downfall of Twitter, now X. Instead, X still reigns supreme. The media’s attempt to crown Mastodon as the new king was more wishful thinking than a reflection of reality.
The Numbers Don’t Lie:
X’s Resilience: Despite the naysayers, X continues to be a hub for real-time information, with users from various demographics engaging daily. The platform’s emphasis on immediacy and brief, punchy content remains unmatched.
Mastodon’s Niche Appeal: Mastodon appeals to those seeking a decentralized, community-driven experience. It’s great for tech-savvy users and those who want an alternative to the mainstream, but it’s not the Twitter killer the woke wishfully thought it would be.
Conclusion: Elon Musk risked it all for free speech, and while there was indeed a shift, the legacy media’s predictions of X’s doom were as off-target as a tweet from a malfunctioning bot.
Mastodon found its tiny place in the social media ecosystem. Still, it’s more of a cozy corner café for tech enthusiasts than a bustling city square like X.
So, the next time someone predicts the end of X, remember that the numbers speak louder than the tweets.
The other thing to remember? Legacy media and bribed journalists disinformation and fake news. They write bullshit predictions, which shows they don’t even understand their own media industry.
What a losers!
Other Decentralized Social Media Platforms
The crucial question is whether blockchain technology and decentralized social networks can potentially transform the online experience for billions of users worldwide.
Decentralized social media platforms (DeSo) aim to revolutionize one of the world’s largest and most discussed sectors.
Additionally, these cutting-edge platforms go beyond revamping the user experience—they also seamlessly incorporate elements of decentralized finance (DeFi).
Think of social media with a touch of financial accessibility, where inventive decentralized applications (dApps) allow users to exchange tips using digital currencies. I don’t mean CBDCs!!
This blending of social networking and DeFi creates a dynamic atmosphere that promotes a more interactive and user-centric online experience.
Some of the decentralized platforms:
Diaspora: Emphasizes user privacy, allowing users to connect with friends and share content without centralized control. Users can choose or create their own pods (nodes)
PeerTube: A decentralized video hosting platform that uses peer-to-peer technology to distribute videos, reducing reliance on a single entity.
Steemit: A blockchain-based platform where users are rewarded with cryptocurrency for creating and curating content, incentivizing quality contributions.
Minds: Focuses on privacy, user autonomy, and free speech, rewarding users with tokens for engagement.
BBS Network: Utilizes blockchain technology on the EOS blockchain with an operator model for scalability and flexibility. Users can create communities, participate in video threads, and engage in dialogue-based content.
A Work in Progress (But Aren’t We All?)
Sure, Bluesky’s still finding its wings. It’s a platform in development, with kinks to iron out and features to fine-tune. But that’s what makes it exciting. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s ripe with potential.
The question isn’t whether Bluesky will change the game. It’s whether you’ll be on the field when it happens. The Sky’s Not the Limit. It’s Just the Beginning.
Ultimately, it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. And right now, Bluesky’s got enough fight to send Meta’s Threads to the innovation graveyard.
As the dust settles on Twitter’s X-rated makeover and Meta fumbles in the dark, Bluesky emerges as a beacon of hope for those yearning for social media’s golden age.
The race is on, the stakes are high, and the future is up for grabs.
In the world of big tech, today’s underdog could be tomorrow’s top dog.
And Bluesky or not? The future of the social media revolution will be decentralized.
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About the Author
In the spotlights, Igor Beuker is a top marketing innovation keynote speaker and futurist known for his foresight on trends and technologies that impact business, economy, and society. Behind the scenes, a serial entrepreneur with 5 exits and an angel investor in 24 social startups. Board member at next-level media firms, changemaker at Rolling Stone Culture Council, Hollywood sci-fi think tank pioneer, award-winning marketing strategist for Amazon, L’Oréal, Nike, and a seer for Fortune 500s, cities, and countries.
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