A Brazilian court’s decision to block social network X has sparked a wave of interest in its competitors, especially the microblogging platform Bluesky. The company announced record levels of activity: 500 thousand new users joined Bluesky in two days, TechCrunch reported. The platform also topped the ranking of free iPhone applications in Brazil, ahead of Threads from Meta✴.
Image source: bsky.app
Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, commenting on the app’s soaring ratings, wrote: “Good job. The people of Brazil made the right choice.” This growth is especially impressive considering that the said decentralized social network only opened in February. Graber humorously acknowledges its small size compared to competitors like X and Threads, calling the product “the runt of social apps.” Created by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and first announced in 2019, the company claimed more than 6 million registered users as of May 2024.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Platform X has become embroiled in an escalating legal dispute with Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over its refusal to block certain accounts as part of a broader campaign to combat what de Moraes called disinformation in the elections. Earlier this month, X said it would cease its operations in Brazil, after which de Moraes warned the company it would be blocked if it did not appoint a legal representative in the country. On Friday, he made good on his promise and also threatened fines for users who try to circumvent the ban.
As the lockdown loomed, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said goodbye to his X followers by posting links to his other social media accounts, starting with Bluesky. This event, together with an active information campaign by the authorities, apparently became the decisive factor for the massive transition of users to alternative platforms, which had a positive impact on the ratings of other social networks.