X rival Bluesky introduces new 'Discover' feed focused on customization
No X (formerly Twitter) rival has managed to capture the essence of the platform like Bluesky. The decentralized initiative, which is still invite-only, has been constantly improving. The company has focused on customized feeds since its inception. Now, it has brought the same to its default 'What's Hot' feed. It has replaced 'What's Hot' with a more complex 'Discover' option.
Why does this story matter?
Bluesky's custom feeds feature is one of its biggest highlights. It allows users the liberty to choose feeds of their choice from an open marketplace. While it focused on bettering the feature, the platform slightly neglected its default feed. Therefore, people have faced various issues with their algorithm-driven feed. The update is expected to put an end to some of those problems.
The old default feed was partial to popular posts
Bluesky's 'What's Hot' feed has been quite simple from the beginning. At first, it contained any post that got 12 likes. The next iteration of the feed was partial to popular posts. They remained on top for a while. This resulted in content getting stale. That's why Bluesky has finally decided to swap 'What's Hot' for Discover.
'Discover' feed will show trending and customized content
The new 'Discover' feed isn't fully algorithm-driven. While it will show trending content, it will also be customized to ensure people can see what they like. The initial version of 'Discover' has trending posts, posts from accounts users follow, and posts from accounts near users' social graphs, Bluesky said in a blog post. The company said it will improve the feed further.
Bluesky was criticized for moderation issues
Bluesky's similarities to X are not limited to features. The platform has also been at the receiving end of backlash for being slow to crack down on hate speech against marginalized communities. African American users, particularly, have been frustrated with how the platform let racial slurs slip through its moderation tools. The company's latest misstep is letting people use expletive racial usernames.
The company seems to have apologized in private emails
Many users sent Bluesky feedback regarding the platform's poor moderation. Now, some of the users have posted apology emails from the company on the platform. The emails seem to be tailored to each user's feedback. It is unclear why the company sent private emails instead of issuing a public apology. Each mail, however, contained different language and templates.
