What makes Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky a Twitter rival
Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey's Bluesky is nearing its public launch. The decentralized initiative, which originated within Twitter, has arrived in Apple's App Store. Courtesy of that, we finally get a glimpse of Dorsey's new brainchild and how it fares against the incumbent it aims to uproot - Twitter. Let's look at Bluesky's credentials that make it a Twitter challenger.
Why does this story matter?
Elon Musk's arrival at the helm of Twitter led to an exodus from the microblogging platform. That opened an opportunity for apps that are considered alternatives to Twitter. Apps such as Mastodon and Tumblr thrived in the first couple of months after Musk's acquisition. With users craving more freedom within Twitter, alternatives such as Mastodon and Bluesky offer them a different path.
The Bluesky project began in 2019
Bluesky's story began in 2019. It was incubated within Twitter when Dorsey was the CEO. Parag Agrawal, the former CEO of Twitter, was Bluesky's manager at the time. Twitter also financed the project in its initial days. The goal behind Bluesky was to build a decentralized social protocol that would eventually become a part of Twitter.
Bluesky is decentralized unlike Twitter
Bluesky, like another Twitter-rival Mastodon, is decentralized. It is powered by an open-source protocol called the 'Authenticated Transfer' Protocol or AT Protocol. Like Mastodon's ActivityPub, AT helps create a federated and decentralized social network. Dorsey once said Blusky will be "an open decentralized standard for social media." He believed that a platform like Bluesky would reduce the power of centralized platforms like Twitter.
Bluesky app offers the same experience as Twitter
Bluesky's namesake app, now available as an invite-only beta, is a manifestation of the project's research. Let's see how the app compares to Twitter. The dissimilarities between Twitter and Bluesky do not go beyond the fundamentals. According to TechCrunch, it offers a skeletal, Twitter-like experience. The features on offer are like Twitter. There will be more features added in the future.
Is Bluesky truly a Twitter rival?
Bluesky has a Twitter-like interface, similar profile feeds, a similar Notifications tab, and more. It lacks some of Twitter's or Mastodon's features. It is clear that Bluesky's AT Protocol is inspired by Twitter but is decentralized, which means it can offer everything Twitter offers without the hassle of ads and content being pushed users' way. Now think about it, isn't that bad for Twitter?
