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Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

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Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#81
post #14

there's nothing you can do technically to fix bluesky. people just hate social networks at this point in this timeline.

Twitter's not doing too bad: 550 and 600 million monthly active users according to platform disclosures and industry estimates So maybe the trick is to not just cater to left on your platform.

Anecdotally, 90% of the interesting tech/art/gamedev people I’ve followed have moved to Bluesky or Mastodon at this point, and they’re never coming back.

Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, because X is able to work the same. When an obvious bot follows an X account, the user can simply block the bot. Also, your X feed can be configured to show posts only from accounts you follow in chronological order, so if you're following a bot, that's on you. Oh, and X hides replies that are probable spam from bots, though you can view them if you'd like. With my X account, they're around but definitel…

I’ll pass on using a platform owned by a white nationalist who’s betrayed his daughter, openly admitted attempting to rig elections, raided our government of life saving appropriations, destroyed public records, stolen social security data, and makes nearly all of his profits on government contracts while never paying taxes.

Indeed. Recent choice words from Musk:

* "Anyone who opposes remigration is a traitor"

* "She is a traitor to the West, plain and simple" (in reference to his recent interviewer)

* "Deal with traitors before invaders. They are committing high treason."

* "First the traitors, then the invaders" (screenshot from Citizen Vigilante pointing gun at camera)

Indistinguishable from Stormfront. And his account (along with other far-right accounts) are the most engaged-with accounts on the platform.

Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#84

Bluesky's feed algorithm (the "Discover" tab) is the worst I've ever seen. Hands down. I can't imagine anyone enjoying it unless they're 1) super into the US politics/domestic issues AND 2) politically aligned with the main user base of Bluesky. The funniest part is that there is a better algorithm. It's right here: https://bsky.app/profile/spacecowboy17.bsky.social/feed/for-... But somehow the devs of Bluesky never…

How is this post, which fundamentally misunderstands Bluesky, the top post in the thread? The default tab on Bluesky is a chronological feed from just the people you follow, with no algorithm, just how most people want it.

Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#85
post #58

As an anecdote, I switched a year or two ago along with most everyone I followed on X. It’s nothing like the vibe on old Twitter. I hate to say it, but it’s just too ideologically siloed. I’m quite left of center, but everyone on bluesky seems to be a caricature; the blue-haired loonies the right memes about. People there are seriously intolerant of anything other than their perceived orthodoxy. I don’t know what mad…

I find it interesting that most conversations about Twitter or Bluesky is about the "political vibe". Why is that so important? On Mastodon, if someone keeps posting political stuff to the point where it's a big chunk of my feed, I merely unfollow. As a result my feed has very little politics. Can't you simply do that on Bluesky? Of course, if you actively want politics, but want just the right kind of politics, then…

[dead]

Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#86

Maybe Bluesky is not quite the Twitter rival it set out to be, but it's got a better shot than Mastodon, according to the user count graphs here: https://bsky.jazco.dev/stats https://mastodon-analytics.com/ Bluesky has a higher total user count. I think the number of active users might be higher too, but I am not sure what's mastodon's definition of an active user for the second link above. Anecdotally, Bluesky feels…

That seems like comparing apples to oranges. I switched to Mastodon in order to avoid the inevitable enshittification of every service that has anything to do with a corporate entity. I learned my lesson and I am not about to repeat it. And having spent considerable time on Mastodon now, I'm quite happy with the value I'm getting from it and the people I follow. I do not need everybody in the world to be on it. In fact, I actually prefer that many people not be on it.

Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#87

As an anecdote, I switched a year or two ago along with most everyone I followed on X. It’s nothing like the vibe on old Twitter. I hate to say it, but it’s just too ideologically siloed. I’m quite left of center, but everyone on bluesky seems to be a caricature; the blue-haired loonies the right memes about. People there are seriously intolerant of anything other than their perceived orthodoxy. I don’t know what mad…

In terms of politics, yes. It's a bit like the worst of reddit. Nobody reads the article, everybody gets outraged in the same cliché way. If you try to provide nuance you get derided or blocked. (Blocking seems to be held in high esteem, which I think is also part of the problem.)

Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mastodon isn't trying to compete anyway, it's not a Product(tm) driven by desire for profits, so the people who use it don't care if it "wins" or becomes more popular than whatever other platform. We're all just hanging out socializing and stuff, sharing neat things and discussing things like communities do. It's not easy to accurately estimate active Mastodon/Fediverse users, but then again, I'm not sure anyone real…

I've never been a fan of the "Product driven by desire for profits" line because it simplifies too much into too little imo. The reason people like scale is that it brings a diverse set of interests. For better or for worse, most Mastodon servers I've seen have a pretty similar set of interests. They're really the same constellation of interests I've seen heavily represented on internet forums since the late '90s. Th…

That also is intentional. You join a server that suits your interests and follow people from other servers to broaden your feed. The goal is to form interlinked communities

Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#89
post #14

there's nothing you can do technically to fix bluesky. people just hate social networks at this point in this timeline.

Twitter's not doing too bad: 550 and 600 million monthly active users according to platform disclosures and industry estimates So maybe the trick is to not just cater to left on your platform.

> So maybe the trick is to not just cater to left on your platform.

Maybe the "trick" is to have inertia and network effect. Facebook somehow has 3 billion monthly active users despite literally everything.

Loads of politicians, governments, sports figures, and social media stars set up accounts back when Twitter was just a conversation platform, before people were yipping about "catering" to left or right (whatever that silly nonsense means), and the amazing stickiness of the network effect means they're still there.

Re: Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

#90

Bluesky's feed algorithm (the "Discover" tab) is the worst I've ever seen. Hands down. I can't imagine anyone enjoying it unless they're 1) super into the US politics/domestic issues AND 2) politically aligned with the main user base of Bluesky. The funniest part is that there is a better algorithm. It's right here: https://bsky.app/profile/spacecowboy17.bsky.social/feed/for-... But somehow the devs of Bluesky never…

thankfully, the discover feed can be unpinned to hide it unless you go look for it. it was horrid for me too.
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