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Is Bluesky The Social Media We Actually Need?

The latest darling of the social media world isn’t X or Threads – it’s Bluesky… or is it?

Bluesky is the new Twitter-clone that Jack Dorsey, former Twitter CEO, quietly birthed as a decentralized, user-first alternative some time back.
Now, it’s riding a wave of disillusionment with X (formerly Twitter), boasting over 20 million users (thanks, Trump?!).
But before we all throw up our hands and proclaim it the next big thing, let’s think on this:

Is this what we’ve been waiting for?

Bluesky feels like Old Twitter, but it’s smarter – or at least that’s the pitch.
The app offers a chronological feed (no algorithms dictating what you see) and lets users choose moderation tools and algorithms that fit their vibe.
You can even join niche servers that cater to your specific interests.
So… Twitter 2.0… with customization knobs?

So are we solving problems, or just moving furniture around the same room?

It could be a post-US election exodus from X?
Since the election, over 115,000 users have deactivated their accounts, frustrated by Elon Musk’s tweaks to promote his own pro-Trump posts and the results.
Social media was supposed to connect us, but instead, it feels like we’re all running to our corners, shouting into echo chambers.
Does Bluesky solve that (does it want to)?… Or are we just splintering further, with each platform leaning into its own ideological tilt?

Here’s my argument: People crave connection, not fragmentation.

Bluesky needs to grow its user base fast – its 20 million users pale in comparison to X’s once – mighty 229 million daily active users.
And Threads, the Meta-backed alternative, still dominates with over 175 million monthly active users.

Bluesky also faces a trust issue.

It’s hard to be “the future of social media” when you’re run by the same guy who helped build the platform that many saw as a problem for democracy long before this last election cycle (or did we already forget about that?).
And while its decentralized model sounds great, how will it handle bad actors testing the boundaries of “choose-your-own” moderation?

We’ve been here before.

For all its flaws, Bluesky has a chance to rewrite the rules.
By emphasizing real-time news and chronological feeds, it offers what X used to: An immediate pulse on the world.
The question is whether it can scale without becoming the very thing it’s trying to replace.
Can it stay true to its promise of user control?
Will it remain a space for honest debate, or will it devolve into another ideological silo?

The big blue picture.

Bluesky might not be the perfect answer, but it’s asking the right questions.
What do we really want from social media?
Do we need more connection, or better curation?
And, perhaps most importantly:
Is this the start of something truly new, or just another iteration of the same old story?

Whether it becomes a beacon – or fizzles out – depends on whether we’re ready for real change… with real voices… from real people… with real opinions.

This is what Elias Makos and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · Is Bluesky The Social Media We Actually Need? – The Elias Makos Show – CJAD 800

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Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.