Threads vs. BlueSky: Picking Sides After the Fall of Twitter
When Twitter morphed into X, I started looking at the other social platforms—like everyone else—to see if any could capture that same blend of community and engagement we’d had on Twitter. Now, a few months in, Threads and BlueSky have emerged as the most likely alternatives, but neither is without its challenges. After some testing and weighing up pros and cons, I think I’m settling into a compromise that keeps me on both platforms—but for very different reasons.
Threads
Let’s start with Threads, Meta’s offering. The platform feels slick, familiar, and honestly pretty polished. It’s got that Meta ease-of-use thanks to Instagram integration, so the learning curve isn’t steep. For people who loved Instagram, Threads is like a logical expansion, which is probably why so many of my regulars migrated there.
But, let’s be real: Meta’s moderation policies and approach to corporate transparency have a bit of a reputation, and not all of it good. It’s a platform that seems responsive enough, but there’s a visible influence from external pressures, especially when it comes to US regulatory issues. This isn’t a total dealbreaker, but it does make me cautious about fully investing in it. There’s always that sense that Meta’s goals might not fully align with mine as a user.
Then there’s the content issue. Threads is still missing some of the voices that made Twitter great—especially tech journalists. They’ve struggled to gain the traction they had on Twitter and, understandably, aren’t entirely happy. The ecosystem on Threads feels very lifestyle-oriented, which can be refreshing but doesn’t always scratch the itch for those deeper discussions.
BlueSky
BlueSky, on the other hand, feels like Twitter’s early days—rough around the edges, and honestly, a prototype more than a finished product. I was one of the early adopters or invitees, and while it has come a long way since then, it still feels very much like an MVP rather than a polished platform. The user experience lacks polish, and sometimes, it feels like a decentralized social experiment rather than a fully formed platform.
However, BlueSky’s approach to community-driven moderation and its ethos of decentralization are refreshing. It doesn’t have the corporate oversight Meta does, which is both a blessing and a curse. It means less interference, but it also means slower updates, fewer resources, and sometimes, a bit of the “wild west” feeling when it comes to content and community standards.
The problem with BlueSky is that it’s still small, and while that’s appealing for some, it’s frustrating if you’re looking for a robust ecosystem of creators and professionals—again, particularly in tech and journalism. BlueSky hasn’t hit that critical mass yet, which makes it feel like a niche community instead of a broad, engaging platform.
The Compromise
In the end, I’m choosing to stick with Threads as my primary platform, mainly because that’s where the people I follow have settled. It’s got enough user engagement to keep things lively, and even with Meta’s involvement, it feels like a platform where I can at least find familiar content and conversations.
But I’ll keep BlueSky bookmarked. It’s worth checking in on, and who knows? It might develop into something bigger, or at the very least, it could become a solid backup with less of the corporate baggage that Meta brings to Threads. For now, Threads gives me the UX and the engagement, while BlueSky is a quieter place for experimentation.
Social media may never feel quite like Twitter again, but maybe that’s okay. Platforms like Threads and BlueSky are carving out new spaces, and as long as I can keep my favourite people and conversations in reach, that might just be enough.
