Bluesky’s Promise of User Control: What Bluesky Gets Right, and the Challenges it Faces

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, in a recent interview with CNBC, as well as Bluesky board member and TechDirt founder Mike Masnick, in a separate podcast discussion, have shared their perspectives on what makes Bluesky unique.

Together, their insights highlight how Bluesky is built on a foundation prioritizing user control, transparency, and innovation. They also address the criticisms that users burned by Twitter have rightly and bluntly mentioned. Let’s explore how Bluesky is reshaping the future of social media.

An Open Design That Puts Users in Control

Bluesky’s defining feature is its open design, which empowers users to retain control of their networks and data. The platform is built on the AT Protocol, a decentralized system that allows users to leave Bluesky while keeping their data, connections, and followers intact. This design, Graber explains, ensures that the platform doesn’t trap users.

“The billionaire proof is in the way everything is designed,” Graber told CNBC. “[If] someone bought it or if the Bluesky company went down, everything is open source. What happened to Twitter couldn’t happen to us in the same ways, because you would always have the option to immediately move without having to start over.”

Mike Masnick echoed this sentiment, describing Bluesky as fundamentally different from centralized platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

“Why can’t we make all of the internet services…more like the email example and less like the Facebook example?” he asked, pointing to email’s interoperability as a model for how social media could work. By building on the AT Protocol, Bluesky enables users to maintain their networks even if they migrate to another server.

Masnick emphasized that “all of the pieces are set up that somebody else can come in and create you know, new Bluesky, Greensky, whatever you want to call it, that everybody can just shift to with the push of a button, and Bluesky loses everything that they have as as a company.”

Built on a Vision for a Better Social Media

Bluesky’s roots go back to 2019, when it was conceived as an internal Twitter project under Jack Dorsey’s leadership.

By 2022, Bluesky had become an independent public benefit corporation, setting out to reimagine what social media could be. Graber credits Dorsey’s initial vision for inspiring Bluesky’s approach.

“In 2019, Jack had a vision for something better for social media, and so that’s why he chose me to build this,” Graber explained. “We’re building an open-source social network that anyone can take into their own hands and build on, and it’s something that is radically different from anything that’s been done in social media before. Nobody’s been this open, this transparent and put this much control in the users hands.”

Masnick also highlighted the platform’s radical transparency, noting that Bluesky’s open-source foundation allows developers and users to innovate freely. “Every part of Bluesky itself can be recreated elsewhere while still allowing you to communicate with people on Bluesky,” he said. “So it is possible to entirely remove yourself from Bluesky and still communicate with anyone else on Bluesky.” This openness ensures that no single entity, not even Bluesky itself, can dominate the network or dictate its future.

A New Approach to Monetization

Bluesky is a for-profit company, but its monetization strategy reflects its user-first philosophy. This sets them apart from platforms that rely on intrusive advertising.

Bluesky has ruled out algorithmically recommended ads. “There’s a lot on the road map, and I’ll tell you what we’re not going to do for monetization,” Graber states. We’re not going to build an algorithm that just shoves ads at you, locking users in. That’s not our model.”

Instead, Bluesky plans to offer paid subscriptions for premium features while fostering a “developer ecosystem” that supports third-party coders.

This approach aligns with its mission to empower users and developers without compromising the platform’s integrity.

“We’re really thankful for [Jack Dorsey] for setting this up, and we’ve continued to carry this out,” Graber said, reiterating Bluesky’s commitment to building a sustainable, user-focused social network.

Customizable User Feeds and Moderation Tools

Bluesky empowers users with unprecedented control over their social media experience through customizable user feeds and powerful moderation tools like block and mute lists. These features enable users to shape the content they see and manage their interactions in ways that align with their preferences and boundaries.

The Marketplace of Feeds

One of Bluesky’s standout features is its “marketplace of feeds.” Unlike traditional platforms, where a central algorithm dictates what users see, Bluesky allows users to subscribe to or create specific feeds tailored to their interests. This allows users to focus on what matters to them without being at the mercy of engagement-driven algorithms.

For example, someone who loves nature photography can follow a feed dedicated to that topic. Graber explains the simplicity of this approach: “People who like cat pictures are just looking at the cat feed.” This model provides users with direct control over their experience, letting them curate their timelines instead of having a centralized platform curate them for them.

Block and Mute Lists for Personal Moderation

In addition to customizable feeds, Bluesky provides robust tools for managing interactions through block and mute lists. These features allow users to avoid unwanted interactions, harassment, or distressing content. Users can also manually block or mute individual accounts, ensuring those accounts no longer appear in their experience.

Bluesky takes moderation a step further by enabling users to subscribe to shared block and mute lists created by others. These lists can be curated around specific themes or criteria, such as blocking known bots, trolls, or harmful content creators. Subscribing to a block or mute list streamlines the process of managing large-scale moderation, empowering users to benefit from the collective work of trusted communities.

A Balance of Choice and Control for Users

Customizability ensure users can create a personalized, safe, distraction-free social media experience. Graber highlights the platform’s broader philosophy, emphasizing that it’s “an open-source social network that anyone can take into their own hands and build on.”

The downside is that moderation lists are entirely maintained by the individual users who create and control them. They could be abandoned or deleted, which is a problem for the many users who rely on them.

Preventing the “Enshittification” of Social Media

One of Bluesky’s most compelling features is its safeguards against the exploitation that has plagued other platforms. Masnick explained how the AT Protocol protects users by making it easy to leave the platform without losing their data.

“If we try and start extracting value in a way that is awful to people, they can leave and destroy our business,” he said. “We have to build a service that is good for the community.”

Masnick added that Bluesky’s status as a public benefit corporation ensures its mission goes beyond maximizing profits.

“As a public benefit corporation, the fiduciary duty is to a wider set of stakeholders, including the community, not just investors,” he noted. This structure aligns Bluesky’s long-term goals with the interests of its users, creating a foundation for trust and accountability.

A Better Future for Social Media

Bluesky’s rise is a bold experiment in rethinking social media, and both Graber and Masnick are optimistic about its potential.

“We have a chance to do it again, and we have a chance to hopefully do it better,” Masnick said, referring to the opportunity to rebuild social media in a way that prioritizes connection and collaboration without the drawbacks of centralized control.

“Wouldn't it be great if we could have all of these benefits that we're talking about without…it all being dependent on some billionaire who's trying to buy up an island in Hawaii?”

With a growing user base, an open-source foundation, and a clear vision for sustainable growth, Bluesky is poised to redefine what we expect from social media platforms.

By giving power back to users and fostering innovation, it offers a glimpse of a more equitable, user-focused digital landscape. As Graber put it, “Nobody’s been this open, this transparent and put this much control in the users hands.”

Third Party Apps

Bluesky is getting a boost from some great third-party tools and apps. These make the platform even more versatile. If you’ve been missing something like Tweetdeck for organizing your feeds, Deck.blue steps in as a fantastic alternative. Deck.blue gives you an easy way to manage your Bluesky accounts all in one place (a single account is free).

For iOS users, apps such as Skeets are compelling and full of free and paid features.

These tools show how Bluesky’s open-source approach is paying off. Developers are free to create features that make the platform more useful and fun, and users will benefit from the growing options for using Bluesky.

In Conclusion

Bluesky is shaking up social media by putting users back in control. Its decentralized architecture, open-source foundation, customizable feeds, and tools like block and mute lists offer a fresh alternative to the centralized platforms we’re used to.

Even Bluesky’s design allows users to take their data and connections with them if they ever decide to leave.

That said, Bluesky isn’t without its challenges. While decentralization is its big promise, most users are still tied to the main Bluesky server. As such, an independent network’s full vision hasn’t yet materialized.

Plus, features like custom feeds and shared block lists require users to actively curate their experience, which might feel overwhelming to some, and completely depends on the individual users who create such feeds and lists to maintain them continually.

Still, Bluesky stands out. Its rejection of algorithm-driven ads and focus on user freedom make it a refreshing alternative in the social media space.

It’s not perfect, and there’s plenty of room to grow from here. However Bluesky’s vision of a platform where users are truly in charge is a bold step toward a better digital future. It’s an experiment worth watching—and, for many, one worth joining.