Twitter’s reign may be coming to an end as Blue-sky gains traction among social media users. The new app was funded by Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, and has already garnered buzz after big names like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Chrissy Teigen, and popular meme account Drill joined it.

Much like Twitter, Blue-sky features reposts, comments, likes, and a “Following” feed. However, the primary difference is that Blue sky, which is currently in its beta phase, intends to operate as a decentralized social network.

Blue-sky was initially designed to act as a decentralized framework for other social media platforms. The core purpose of a decentralized social network is to give users greater control over their content via a public system, allowing them to create their own rules and communities. It is unlike traditional, centralized social media, wherein the network is monitored by a single entity that controls the user experience and imposes restrictions. Another aspect of Blue sky’s surging popularity is its exclusivity, as it is only accessible to users with an invite code.

Dorsey championed decentralization as the next big thing for social media, encouraging Musk to adopt it for Twitter as well. In any case, as decentralization is a new concept, user acceptance will be a key factor in determining whether Blue sky could potentially surpass Twitter.

The oncoming wave of competitors vying for Twitter’s spot has been brought on largely by Elon Musk’s unimpressive run as the current head of Twitter.

Musk’s crackdown on content moderation and censorship has led to the spread of misinformation and hate speech, raising brand safety concerns among advertisers. Twitter’s ad revenue from its top 1,000 advertisers has plummeted significantly since Musk’s takeover in October 2022, dropping from USD 127 million to USD 48 million in January 2023.

Another controversial move is Twitter Blue, a paid subscription for the blue check mark. The check mark, which denotes a verified account, was previously reserved for celebrities and organizations at no extra cost. But Musk’s changes allowed anyone to pay the monthly USD 8 fee for the coveted badge.

The new verification system was considered a failure as it enabled users to impersonate official corporations like Eli Lilly and Disney. False information increased tenfold on the platform, alienating advertisers and even high-profile celebrities. Twitter sought to revert back to its old system and give verification marks to celebrities for free, but a large majority of A-listers are now refusing the symbol.

Twitter’s downfall would be incentive enough for users to try Blue sky and other rivals, that is unless the former app finds a way to recover from the radical changes brought on by Musk. Nevertheless, it is too early to say what the future entails for either platform.

1. Which critiques would you offer for Elon Musk’s approach toward running Twitter? 

2. Can Blue sky truly replace Twitter? Explain why or why not with the idea of “decentralization”. 

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Critiques of Elon Musks approach to running Twitter Crackdown on content moderation and censorship Musks decision to relax Twitters content moderation policies has led to an increase in misinformation ... View the full answer