It took too long for me to push the button, but I have deleted my latest Twitter account, which I have had since 2016. I have used Twitter in some fashion since 2010, when it was easy for my college-aged self to text “Just had a banger ‘zone from DP Dough at 2:00 am, good hangover food!” to 40404. But fourteen years and much political change later, Twitter serves no purpose in my life. So goodbye and good riddance to it. And I will refuse to call it “X” ever, even in its death. (This is not an allegory for edgelords.)
But the question remains: What now? For the many like me who have parted ways with Twitter, the need to post still lingers. We are communicative beasts, we humans who walk and sit among this wretched planet, and in lieu of speech, signs, or other face-to-face methods of messaging, we must express ourselves. So what exists for us and the posters of the near future?
- Facebook has died the death, becoming a breeding ground for AI content, a nursing home for aging Boomers, and scam Marketplace listings.
- Instagram prioritizes algorithmic content over all, filling feeds with trash from influencers, ads from the worst companies you know, and nagging posts from dropshippers begging you to buy their shlock which they buy wholesale from Alibaba. (TikTok also falls victim to these ills.)
- Discord is fun, but it is more of a chat app than anything, better for live discussion in more private channels than a public depository for thoughts and conversation.
- Reddit might be the most likely contender for capturing the posting masses. But it is more of a forum and news feed than anything, hearkening back to an age when social media was a little less user-friendly, and therefore most may not see it as a viable alternative to the once-easier user experience of Twitter.
Given the above, two challengers have risen to take the crown and become the next great destination for posting. (Please take that title with as little seriousness as possible.) In one corner: BlueSky, the former pet project of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. In the other: Threads, the creation of Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms, which also owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Let us now take a quick glance at both to determine the pros and cons of each. Keep in mind, as with everything I post on here, that I am no expert. If you crave more information, use Wikipedia.
Bluesky
Bluesky started in 2019 as Jack Dorsey’s venture into marrying Twitter with the concept of decentralized social networks. A decentralized social network means the service is distributed over multiple providers, but users can still communicate between providers. No one entity truly owns the service; a federation of the different service providers oversees the functionality and moderation of the greater user base. Think of Bluesky like email: You might have Gmail and your mom might (for some esoteric reason) have AOL Mail, but you can still message each other.
It’s more complicated than this, I’m sure. But again, I am not smart and explaining the technical points of this service is not the point of this article.
Anyway: Bluesky became independent from Twitter in 2021, and had a slow rollout, allowing users to create accounts on an invite-only basis. In February 2024, Bluesky opened up to the public, but many people still didn’t understand how it worked and the service wasn’t yet ready to take on a massive load of new users. But the development team continued to work on the service and implement features to make it more user-friendly and Twitter-like.
It was just in time for the massive exodus from Twitter: Over the past few months, Twitter’s far-right swing and Elon Musk’s ascension to governmental appointment have caused many users to see Bluesky as the next logical destination. In the week since the 2024 U.S. election, Bluesky has added 700,000 new worldwide users. This is in addition to the many Brazilian users who signed up after the nation’s government temporarily banned the service.
What has drawn these users to Bluesky? There are quite a few pros. The user interface reminds folks of what Twitter used to look like: Bright, clean, and free of ads and other AI junk. The “Following” tab is front and center, allowing users to view a more curated feed, and the ability for users to create custom feeds (like Twitter lists) is very intuitive. While the “Discover” tab acts like a “For You” feed, it is sort of tucked away, freeing users from the hellish chasm of posts picked from the algorithm and spoon-fed to them, whether they like it or not. There are also more opportunities for users to moderate their experience. Users can easily mute and block lists of users with the click of a button if they choose, as well as filter certain words and hashtags.
So while Bluesky provides the classic Twitter experience, what are the cons? Well, as it’s still a growing service, functionality will fold from time to time under the pressure. The ability to share images is there, but video posting remains quite limited. There’s also no way for users to edit their posts, which isn’t a loss for any former Twitter user unless they signed up for Twitter Blue. Furthermore, the verification process is quite tricky: You can self-verify if you own a domain, such as “willsisskind.com.” (I’ve done the magic to verify myself on Bluesky using this method.) However, most average folks don’t own a domain, and many professionals may want to affiliate themselves with their company or organization (such as journalists, researchers, and government employees) but don’t have the ability to use that organization’s domain without authorization. (But hey, it’s better than paying eight bucks a month for a stupid checkmark.)
The kinks of Bluesky may iron themselves out over time. And with Jack Dorsey no longer involved full-tilt with the project, the service falls under the jurisdiction of Bluesky Social PBC, a board run by CEO Jay Graber which is responsible for growing and moderating the service. As of right now, it seems like the minds behind BlueSky have good intentions for it and the expanding community. And even though they have the final say about what happens on Bluesky, they are very clear about the fact that they do not own the service, and that no one person can technically own it, unlike other social media services.
But of course, everything that stems from Twitter has the ability to become what Twitter became. Only time will tell!
Threads
Meanwhile, over at Meta, Threads is working to build out a community based on its already-existing Instagram userbase. Threads started in 2019 as Instagram Notes, an similar to Snapchat which allowed users to share text and basic images with their close Instagram friends. Over time, Meta began merging this app with Instagram, and the features of Instagram Notes became part of the expanded Stories feature.
In 2022, on the heels of Musk’s hostile takeover of Twitter, Meta returned to Threads and began building it out as a Twitter clone with Instagram branding. They wanted to draw younger users who had left Facebook back toward their products, as well as convert their existing Instagram audience into Threads users. The gambit initially worked: Threads launched on July 5, 2023, and within a day 30 million users were registered for the service. However, by the end of the month, the number of daily active users plummeted to eight million users. It reached 100 million users five days after launch; however, it took over a year to reach 200 million, hitting that benchmark on August 1, 2024. (Again, thank you, Wikipedia.)
What drew users to Threads? For one, the user interface looks like Instagram, so users of that service will feel at home on Threads, much like how former Twitter heads feel welcome on Bluesky. Threads allows for similar posting to Twitter and Bluesky: Basic text, image, and video content sharing is available and more robust in terms of content length. And the centralization of the Threads service allows for quick moderation of content. The user experience is very clean, and the algorithm allows for users to find content and accounts they might enjoy.
So what’s the catch? Well, for a site that calls itself Threads, it doesn’t actually have any threads. Users who want to post related stories in a row must make posts one at a time, instead of the user-friendly thread creation functionality Twitter and Bluesky users know. Threads does not have a Trending Stories feature or direct messaging, making it fall behind existing platforms. It also shows the “For You” feed by default, much like Twitter and Instagram, and you need to do some hunting to show the chronological feed of followed accounts.
Above all of Threads’ faults, it is still owned by Meta Products. Mark Zuckerberg still has his finger on Threads’ development in some form, as does Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Therefore, they have control over the service both in the backend and the frontend. But despite that ability, they haven’t really exercised it. Threads still feels like the side project of Instagram, a little Twitter competitor advertised in between ads from Wheat Thins and Kylie Jenner’s latest fit. Speaking of ads: Where Bluesky kind of rebukes companies and advertisers, Threads welcomes them, since those accounts already have presences on Instagram and therefore within the Meta Products ecosystem.
And there’s the draw of Threads: If you are already an Instagram user and miss the old Facebook wall feeling, you will enjoy Threads. It will be easy for you to join and connect with your friends and followers in a heartbeat. You don’t necessarily need to worry about verification or moderation lists or anything; much of that is already taken care of for you because it is already set up for you through Facebook’s/Instagram’s/Meta’s information about you. For some, that’s nice and convenient. For many others, that’s dystopian. You make the call on how you feel.
Verdict
So which is better? Bluesky? Threads? Must both userbases draw swords and form battalions in the fields of fire to slaughter and pillage, so that a winner in the great battle of social media supremacy might rise from the ashes?
If you’ve read this far down, congratulations! I will disappoint you.
I cannot tell you which new social media service is better. I prefer Bluesky because of its decentralized nature, its similarity to Twitter back in the old days, and its moderation and curation functions. However, you may like Threads for its ease of use, its integration with Instagram and Facebook, and its expanded posting capabilities. The only thing I can suggest is that you try both services, see which one you vibe with more over a few days, and stick with the one that feels like it suits you best.
Of course, the real answer is this: At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Posting is not the be-all-end-all of our society. Maybe neither service will work best for you. Maybe the best social media is going outside and touching grass. Maybe instead of using Bluesky, you should look up at the blue sky and get some sun! Maybe instead of posting on Threads, you should be examining the threads of your life which you let fray because you were posting so much!
I am kidding. Ha ha ha. There is no other way but to Post. We are all pawns in the dark, twisted game of Posting. All of us must Post to survive, lest the gods strike us down for our insubordination. Ask not for whom the bell Posts; it Posts for thee.