Tedium

Thoughts on the sudden surge of success Bluesky has seen this week—without a network-dampening algorithm in sight.

What’s interesting is that so much of its growth is happening essentially through organic tools. Sure, there are algorithms, but what is fascinating is how they don’t feel incredibly visible. The company’s decision to create “starter packs” that users can share with one another has created an absolute explosion in followers in a short amount of time, that, combined with the accelerant of the election putting pressure on legacy social networks to change direction, suggest that what many users wanted all along was not extremely high levels of engagement, but an experience they more or less feel in control of

That, to be clear, is not a given. For years, nearly every major social network has taken steps, in the name of its business model, to minimize the impact of basic digital tools like links, self-promotion, and even the ability to talk about desired topics. And these decisions seem to be driven by business calculus, not the needs of the user. And it just leads to awful experiences.

It is not trying to heavily personalize or build algorithms. As a user, that’s your job. It is instead focusing on building a strong central identity, and a good user experience that the user ultimately controls.

The network should serve the users, not the other way around. It is shocking that it has taken this long for someone to figure it out.