Bluesky platform surpasses 20 million users

Bluesky Platform Overview

The Bluesky platform was developed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and has experienced a surge in sign-ups following the results of the US election.

Key Features

• Age-Gating: Users must enter their date of birth when signing up, with an age limit of 13 years old.

• Moderation: A mix of human moderators and automated technology is used to moderate content on the platform.

• No Traditional Advertising: The platform has no plans to introduce traditional advertising, instead considering making money through subscriptions for users who want extra features on their accounts.

Bluesky’s Growth and User Base

In recent weeks, Bluesky has experienced a surge in sign-ups following the results of the US election. The platform has surpassed 20 million users, although this remains far behind X and Threads, another rival platform set up by Meta.

User Growth

The Bluesky platform has seen significant growth since its development, with:

• 9 million users in September

• Surpassing 20 million users this week

This growth can be attributed to the surge in sign-ups following the US election, as well as the departure of some X users due to political division.

Moderation and Advertising on Bluesky

Ms. Graber also mentioned that moderation on the platform comes from a mix of human moderators and automated technology. Notably, she stated that Bluesky has no plans to introduce “traditional advertising.” One option being considered is making money through subscriptions for users who want extra features on their accounts.

The chief executive of Bluesky, Jay Graber, was unable to provide the correct age limit for users on the platform in an interview with the BBC. However, following the interview, Bluesky contacted the BBC to clarify that the minimum age is actually 13, not 18.

Additional Settings for Minors

According to Bluesky’s spokesperson, users under 18 have additional settings applied to their accounts to ensure that the content they see is safe for minors. This suggests that while the minimum age requirement is 13, there are measures in place to protect younger users.