Bluesky is ushering in a pick-your-own algorithm era of social media

As a technology reporter, I like to think I’m an early adopter. I first signed up to the social network Bluesky around 18 months ago, when the platform saw a small surge in users disaffected by Elon Musk’s approach to what was then still called Twitter.

It didn’t stick. Like many, I found the lure of Twitter too strong, and let my Bluesky account wither, but in recent weeks I have returned – and I am not alone. With Musk continuing to transform his social platform, now called X, at the same time as taking a role in US president-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming government, the Xodus has begun. Bluesky has gained 12 million users in two months, and has just surpassed 20 million users. This time I intend on sticking around – and I think others will, too.

In large part, that’s because I want a social media experience without being bombarded by hate speech, gore and pornographic videos – all of which users of X have complained about in recent months. But I’m also big on Bluesky because I think it signals a shift in how social media works on a more fundamental level.

Social media algorithms – the computer code that decides what each user is shown – have long been a point of contentious debate. Fears of disappearing down “rabbit holes” of radicalisation, or being trapped in “echo chambers” of consensual, sometimes conspiratorial, viewpoints, have dominated scientific literature.

The use of algorithms to filter information has become the norm because chronologically presenting information from followers creates a confusing morass for the average user to process. Sorting and filtering what is important – or likely to keep users engaged – has become key to the success of platforms like Facebook, X and Instagram.

But control of these algorithms also gives you a big say in what people read. One of the bugbears many users have with X is its “For you” algorithm, which under Musk has seen commentary by and about him seemingly shoved into users’ timelines, even if they don’t directly follow him.

Bluesky’s approach isn’t to ditch algorithms – instead, it has more than the average social network. In a 2023 blog post, Jay Graber, Bluesky’s CEO, outlined the ethos of the platform. Bluesky promotes a “marketplace of algorithms”, she wrote, instead of a single “master algorithm”.

In practice, this means that users can see posts by people they follow on the app, the standard view Bluesky defaults to. But they can equally opt to see what’s popular with friends, an algorithmically-dictated selection of posts that your peers enjoy. There are feeds specifically for scientists, curated by those working in the field, or ones to promote Black voices, which are often thinned out by algorithmic filtering. One feed even specifically promotes “quiet posters” – users who post infrequently, and whose views would otherwise be drowned out by those who share every opinion with their followers.

This menu of options allows Bluesky to serve two purposes, bridging the past era of social media and the future one. The platform has the potential, once it reaches a critical mass of users, to act as the “de facto public town square”, as Musk dubbed Twitter before he purchased it. Bluesky arguably is the only remaining such square, given X has shifted to exclude many mainstream voices, and competitors like Threads choose to shy away from promoting politics and current affairs.

But Bluesky also allows you to tailor the app to your needs – not only through feeds, but other elements like starter packs of recommended users to quickly get involved in individual niches, or blocking tools to quieten unruly voices.

There are still hitches, undoubtedly. Finding the right feed for you can be tricky, while creating your own is even more complicated, requiring third-party tools. But the ability to get the full view of public conversation, then to drill down into smaller debates within clusters and communities of that broad swathe of society, is exciting. It’s a model of a new social media where users, not big companies or enigmatic individuals, are in charge of what they see. And if Bluesky continues to add users, it could become the norm. So come and join me – I’m @stokel.bsky.social.

Chris Stokel-Walker is a freelance technology journalist