Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon: Twitter’s alternative platforms and how they differ

In recent weeks, the social network One of the main reasons for this phenomenon is the series of changes in the management and operation of the platform following its acquisition by Elon Musk, although it is not the only reason.

From payments for verified user ‘checks’ to ban in Brazil

Ever since Elon Musk bought Twitter in October 2022, the social network has undergone a radical transformation beyond the name change to the redesign of the X and its image. The most controversial decisions include mass layoffs, changes to content policies, and modifications to the algorithm that controls the visibility of tweets. Although Musk initially said that these measures were aimed at revitalizing the platform and guaranteeing freedom of expression, many of them have divided users’ opinions.

One of the adjustments initially most questioned was the implementation of ‘Twitter Blue’, a monthly or yearly paid subscription model that offers individuals and companies benefits such as account verification and greater visibility into interactions. This change weakened Verification’s reputation and was criticized for favoring those who can pay by removing free users. Furthermore, the initiative gave rise to identity theft by users who acquired verification badges to impersonate genuine companies.

Other changes that gave rise to controversy were the apparent readjustments to the algorithms implemented during the first months of 2023. As reported by hundreds of users, Elon Musk’s tweets appear very frequently even to people who do not follow him.

One of the most recent controversies was the blocking of access. The order, issued from Brazil, will remain in effect until the platform complies with rulings of the Supreme Federal Court, pays a total fine of 18.3 million reais and closes a branch of the company in the South American country. Does not appoint a representative. Ultimately, access to the social network was restored on 8 October.

political implications

During the final phase of the campaign before the United States presidential elections between October and November 2024 (and the subsequent declaration of victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump), this new wave of dissatisfaction with the network, formerly known as Twitter, is Has been in health. The part related to political messages issued by Elon Musk. The South African businessman and politician, after financially boosting Trump’s campaign, now aspires to direct ‘DOGE’ (Department of Government Efficiency, for its acronym in English), a kind of ministry with which the future The President promises to “eliminate bureaucracy”. “The government will drastically reduce excess regulation, cut wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies.

For this reason, it is not surprising that hundreds of users have seen a significant increase in the presence of pro-Trump messages in their ‘For You’ section within the social network, even among those who have expressed interest Did not show up or follow the election campaign. United States. , Precisely, a study conducted by the University of Queensland supports this fact, finding an increase in the view figures of Republican-leaning accounts ever since Elon Musk shared his support for the president-elect.

All this, combined with the already existing hostile environment, only encourages the departure of users. How many? The exact number is unknown, as the platform’s official statistics are not public. However, there has been a considerable increase in the number of accounts created recently on the social network that compete as an alternative to the old Twitter, such as Bluesky, Threads or Mastodon, among others.

From X they claim that they have broken records during the United States elections with approximately 942 million publications. Moreover, last May, Elon Musk assured that the social network had more than 600 million active users per month, half of whom used the platform every day. However, there is no way to compare these figures.

However, much of the controversy has continued to this day in the days following the announcement of Trump’s victory.

Also known as Bluesky Social, Bluesky is one of the leading social networks that has established itself as an alternative. Although it was initially a little-known social network, the platform is clearly experiencing a boom, especially among users who are interested in alternatives able to offer more freedom, control and privacy.

Featuring a design similar to Twitter and its icon representing a butterfly, Bluesky began taking shape within the Twitter team in 2019 under a proposal by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey. Creating a platform where no single company would have control, but rather an open network in which users and communities would have greater autonomy. It was released on Android devices in April 2023.

Although Bluesky works similarly to Twitter by allowing the publication of short messages accompanied by images, its real innovation lies in how it is structured. Rather than being managed by a single company, Bluesky is said to be a decentralized network, capable of giving users more control over their data as well as a user experience free from the influence of a single entity.

Another fast-growing option is Threads, a social network developed by Meta (a company that also owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and was launched in July 2023. In less than 24 hours after its launch, it reached 70 million registered users Integration with other meta platforms. Despite this strong start, its download speed dropped significantly after its premiere. However, amid the current X crisis, it has added almost 15 million new users in two weeks.

One of the main characteristics of this social network is that its use is closely linked to that of Instagram. In fact, to use Threads it is necessary to create an Instagram account, which does not currently contain advertising. Like other ‘microblogging’ type social networks, it allows you to share text and multimedia content, as well as the possibility to respond to, share and quote other users’ publications.

Mastodon is one of the options that has gained the most weight. It is a social network that was initially launched in October 2016. Following the changes implemented by Elon Musk shortly after his purchase of Twitter in October 2022, many users decided to migrate to this platform to the point of overloading the servers.

Among the main features of Mastodon, its free and open source software published on GitHub stands out. Its users are distributed over various independent servers that can communicate with each other through the ActivityPub network protocol.

Users with a Mastodon account can share text posts with images, video, GIF, or audio; Also tag or mention other users. All this happens in communities defined around specific interests.

Parler is an American-born social network that was developed in 2018 with two objectives: less censorship and alternative content moderation policies. However, it has been questioned by both journalists and users for implementing stricter restriction policies than the company defends. In July 2020, the platform had 2.8 million users, many of whom joined in the middle of that year, encouraged by Trump and influential personalities of his ideological line.

Following the January 2021 attack on the United States Capitol by Republican supporters convinced that election fraud had occurred, most social networks banned Donald Trump’s official profiles after he used them to encourage protests. . At the time, the main option chosen by the then-outgoing president to communicate with his followers was Parler; And that is why many of his followers also decided to go there.

On January 8, 2021, Parler was removed from the Google Play Store following allegations that it had helped organize the attack on the US Capitol among its users. Apple also removed the app from its Store, demanding improvements in content moderation. Additionally, Amazon suspended its web hosting service arguing that Parler was not removing content that they claimed incites violence. A few weeks later, the site was back up and running under a new CEO and a different hosting provider. This is still under controversy.

One such case is that of Truth Social and Gab platforms. The first of them, also known as ‘TRUTH’, was launched by Donald Trump himself in response to Meta and Twitter shutting down his profiles after the attack on the Capitol. Currently it has around 1.5 million supporters of the politician and businessman. On the other hand, Gab is a social network founded in 2016 that is presented as an “alternative to Twitter that prioritizes freedom of expression and free speech” which falls under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. ” However, it has been harshly criticized for failing to ban hate speech, promoting extremist views, and harboring followers and opinion leaders associated with white supremacist movements.