Digital Media Team’s Post

Bluesky picked up 1 million users in 24 hrs yesterday, and it's likely that it will continue on this trajectory for some time. Social media platforms have become the newspapers of today, with the reality being that the biases of the controlling interests tending to control not the explicit content but rather the philosophy of their audience. Elon Musk bought Twitter and immediately worked to rebrand it as a hard-right environment, X. Not surprisingly, this became a filtering mechanism, and those people that were not in that camp began migrating. The election served only to accelerate that process. Jack Dorsey is the former CEO of Twitter, and his push behind BlueSky is a clear attempt to rebuild the community that Twitter assiduously fostered. With Jay Graber now at the helm, I see Bluesky doing what Twitter used to do - Twitter was something of a public trust, a place where people could post links to their news content without worry that the owner of the site would "play games", something that Musk's X has clearly already done, and as it builds, it's also likely that it will also reattract the advertisers that were appalled by the directly that X was going while simultaneously realizing that it was the only game in town. Social media is a weird business. SM sites can be very stable for a comparatively long time, but if a tipping point is reached where people decide they do not like the platform, they will leave if there is a viable alternative. Threads, Meta's Twitter-like environment, boasts many more users, but I cannot help but think this is inflated because of both Facebook and Instagram feeding into it. Personally I find that integration frustrating, because it breaks context and to be honest has an uncomfortable interface. Mastodon saw a significant jump after Musk bought Twitter, but it too struggles within interface issues. Bluesky, on the other hand, feels like coming home. I have a feeling that it may become the preferred medium of the "Resistance" - I've already noted several key centrists and left-of-center journalists and thought leaders showing up there, and expect to see more as the audience grows.

Do you remember your first tweet on Twitter? It will be interesting to know how you started using the platform. This post will tell you how to find the first tweet of any #Twitter user including you. #X #SocialMedia https://lttr.ai/AXIHy @HeartofManoj

When Elon Musk took over Twitter and turned it into X, many users left for other social media options. Two of them stood out: Threads, a Meta-backed app linked to Instagram and Bluesky, a new and bold service. Bluesky was a fresh challenger, launching right after Musk’s deal in October 2022. It only came to iOS in February last year. But Bluesky had some advantages: a decentralized vision and a link to the old Twitter. Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s founder and ex-CEO, supported Bluesky. He even gave it $13 million before Musk’s takeover. Bluesky is also a public benefit corporation, unlike other social media giants. Curious? Find more: https://lnkd.in/gzSd8W_2

Do you remember your first tweet on Twitter? It will be interesting to know how you started using the platform. This post will tell you how to find the first tweet of any #Twitter user including you. #X #SocialMedia https://lttr.ai/AXI6o @HeartofManoj

Last week, you probably missed the social media shift of the century: X, formerly known as Twitter, officially switched to "x(.)com." Twitter is dead, long live X. Elon Musk, who's been dreaming about X since 1999, finally made the leap. Despite the rebranding, X is still the go-to for real-time updates on news, sports, and entertainment. Elon's cost-cutting and controversial moves, like Community Notes, have sparked debate. Yet, X remains relevant, even if it's stagnating at 250 million daily users. Sure, hate speech is up, and profitability is elusive with $1.5 billion annual interest payments looming. But with Elon’s grand vision of a one-stop financial hub, who knows? X might just pull off another Musk miracle. https://lnkd.in/graEAqZQ

Bluesky has emerged as a beacon for users seeking refuge from the turbulent waters of Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter). With over 20 million users (as of 11/20/24)—up by 500% since the U.S. election—this nascent platform is rapidly becoming more than just another Twitter alternative. But what's driving this exodus, and how is Bluesky reshaping the social media experience? By prioritizing user experience, community health, and genuine connection, the platform isn't just offering an alternative to X—it's demonstrating that social media can be better. Check out today's blog for all the details: https://lnkd.in/emAbWBbh You can follow me at @drclairebrady.bsky.social and the AI in Higher Education Starter Pack at https://lnkd.in/eJkMxEDz

X, Formerly Twitter, To Let Blocked Users See Your Public Posts The idea of blocking someone on social media is that regardless of who pulls the trigger against the other first, both will still not be able to see or engage with either’s posts. This looks to be changing in the near future for X, previously Twitter, according to a post by owner Elon Musk. In a reply, Musk says that “the block function will block that account from engaging with, but not block seeing, public posts”. Which feels pretty counterintuitive and defeats half the purpose of the block to begin with. That being said, it is pretty on brand for Musk, considering what he has said publicly before about the feature on X. High time this happened. The block function will block that account from engaging with, but not block seeing, public post. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 23, 2024 For context, Musk had said last year that he thought the idea of blocking people on social media makes no sense. It was also a feature that he was mulling putting on the chopping block, no pun intended, with DMs being the only exception. At the time, he also said that it would be replaced by a stronger form of muting. Once this change to blocking takes effect, that’s effectively what blocking becomes – muting an account rather than a post or its threads. It’s not yet the complete removal of blocking as a feature, but it definitely sounds like one step closer. (Source: Elon Musk / X) The post X, Formerly Twitter, To Let Blocked Users See Your Public Posts appeared first on Lowyat.NET. https://ift.tt/64OQlbM

I'm over on Bluesky now, having left Twitter (as was) when things took a bad turn over the summer. It was my second departure from a place where I once spent a lot of time. But this time it was for good. And I really don't miss it. Partly, that's because Bluesky has exploded in the last few weeks. For the first six months of this year it was a rather dull and earnest place. Although lots of people who work there are not remotely dry, or earnest, it sometimes felt like it was the FT intranet, given they were one of the few media orgs to make the jump early and in serious numbers. It hasn't surprised me that Bluesky has taken off. When Threads launched in the summer of 2023 I did some polling on whether people might be tempted onto a new network. Even then - before some of the more negative consequences and manifestations of Elon Musk's ownership became obvious - it was clear that even the most prolific Twitter users were indeed open to moving. In fact, *only 26% of people who used Twitter daily* said there were no circumstances they could foresee in which they wouldn't switch to a another platform (or protocol, in Bluesky's case). In other words, once the circumstances became right, network loyalties are paper-thin. Perhaps this shouldn't surprise us. Look at Bebo or MySpace for examples of this happening before. But what the enormous expansion of Bluesky tells us is that once a significant part of the social media herd moves, other parts of it can follow rapidly. (the data is here btw: https://lnkd.in/efdDfGAu) and this is my Bluesky profile: https://lnkd.in/eJEevbCj

Have you heard of Bluesky Social? 🦋 It’s a social media platform that’s very similar to X (formerly Twitter) — no surprise there, since it was created by one of Twitter’s original founders, Jack Dorsey. Bluesky Social has been growing like crazy lately, and it’s bringing back those simple, no-drama vibes of early Twitter days. I actually joined Bluesky back in April 2023 when it was invite-only and grabbed my user handle, but didn’t do much with it at the time because I was still using Twitter. Now things are changing, Twitter (or X) has become a toxic cesspit full of hate and lies, and the worst part is, the drama often comes straight from its own owner, Elon Musk. It’s sad to see, but it’s also pushed me, and many others, to explore other options. Bluesky feels refreshing and it’s still early days, but with so many people jumping over, it’ll be interesting to see if it can replace Twitter as the in-the-moment news portal that Twitter has always been known for. Are you on Bluesky? Or maybe you’re trying Threads or sticking it out on X? Let me know — I’d love to hear your thoughts on all these changes in the social media world and if you find yourself over there, be sure to follow so I can follow back 😀