Brazilians swapped X for the new social network Bluesky, from the former CEO of Twitter

Goodbye X, hello Bluesky! The recent decision by the Supreme Court to ban X (formerly Twitter) is creating a curious scenario in the world of social networks. X, for those who don’t know, is the new version of the famous Twitter, the same one that used to give us tweets of up to 280 characters about everything and nothing at the same time.

Twitter

Created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey and company, Twitter was the stage for the most heated debates, the funniest memes and, of course, the most epic fights on the internet. But, after being bought by the billionaire Elon Musk In 2022, Twitter became X, because apparently simple letters were no longer enough for Musk.

Bluesky

Meanwhile, the Blueskya platform that was born in 2019 with the support of Twitter itself, is laughing out loud. Designed as a decentralized social network, Bluesky presents itself as a free, light and loose alternative to the centralized control of large platforms.

In 2023, the Bluesky decided to stand on its own two feet, becoming an independent corporation and, as a bonus, a favorite among those who want a little more digital autonomy. Since February 2024, when it opened its doors to the public, Bluesky has been attracting more people than a party with an open bar.

Last Friday, Bluesky announced that it was “breaking activity records”, with half a million new users joining the scene in the last two days. Now, look at the irony: the Bluesky is the number one app in Brazil for iPhones, leaving behind Meta’s Threads, which in turn has also tried to take a slice of Twitter’s pie. It seems that Brazil has decided to bet on the new thing.

Bluesky CEO gives message to Brazilians

Jay GraberCEO of Blueskydidn’t miss the chance to take a dig, saying: “Good job, Brazil, you made the right choice.” And indeed, the platform’s growth is impressive, considering that by May 2024, it already had more than 6 million users. Bluesky calls itself “the short king of social apps,” in an attempt to show that size doesn’t matter that much — at least in the world of social media.

Legal battle

On the other side, X, led by Elon Musk, is in the middle of a separate show with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil. The fight with the minister Alexander de Moraes involves X’s refusal to block certain accounts as part of a campaign to combat electoral disinformation.

X even threatened to pull the plug and leave the scene in Brazil, but Moraes was not intimidated. Last Friday, he decided that X is really no longer invited to the party and even threatened to fine those who try to sneak in using VPNs.

Summary for those in a hurry:

• Brazilian court gave a red card to X (formerly Twitter), helping Bluesky to shine.
• Twitter, the one with the 280-character arguments, became X after being bought by Elon Musk.
• Bluesky, born in 2019 with the support of Twitter, is now flying solo as a more “liberating” alternative.
• Bluesky gained 500 thousand new users in two days and is the most downloaded free app in Brazil.
• Bluesky CEO gave a nudge to Brazilians, saying that they made the right choice in migrating to the platform.
• X is at war with the STF over electoral disinformation and may end its operations in Brazil, but not without drama.