Seattle — Bluesky, the decentralized social network, has reached a major milestone by surpassing 40 million registered users, and the platform is also rolling out a beta version of a new “dislikes” feature aimed at giving users more control over their feed.
Rapid Growth and Momentum
Bluesky’s rise reflects growing interest in alternative social networks that prioritize user control and decentralized infrastructure. While the milestone measures total registrations rather than active users, it demonstrates that the platform is gaining traction in a competitive social media landscape.
The “Dislikes” Feature Explained
The new feature is designed as a private signal rather than a public downvote. When a user marks a post as disliked, the algorithm uses that information to reduce similar content in their feed and improve the relevance of replies and recommendations.
Key points about the feature:
- Users can influence what appears in their feeds without affecting others’ visibility.
- Reply and thread rankings are adjusted to prioritize posts from trusted connections or relevant participants.
- The feature aims to help users avoid off-topic, toxic, or irrelevant content while preserving freedom of expression.
Significance for Social Media
Bluesky’s approach reflects several important trends in social networking:
- User empowerment: Giving individuals more control over their feed and engagement.
- Algorithmic refinement: Leveraging subtle signals to improve conversation quality without heavy-handed moderation.
- Competitive differentiation: Offering a decentralized alternative at scale to users frustrated with traditional platforms.
- Scaling decentralized networks: Reaching tens of millions of users demonstrates that decentralized models can achieve meaningful scale.
Challenges Ahead
Despite the milestone, Bluesky faces challenges:
- Maintaining active engagement beyond registration numbers.
- Balancing decentralized governance with the need for safe and constructive communities.
- Ensuring the “dislikes” feature is intuitive and trusted by users.
- Competing with larger, well-funded social networks that can replicate successful features.
Looking Forward
Observers will be watching how the “dislikes” feature performs as it rolls out more widely, and whether Bluesky can sustain engagement and growth in a crowded social media ecosystem. The platform’s focus on user-driven personalization and conversation quality positions it as an innovative alternative for those seeking a different social experience.
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