Bluesky, a decentralized social network aiming to offer an alternative to Twitter, has temporarily halted new sign-ups due to overwhelming demand. The surge in users joining Bluesky from Twitter has resulted in performance issues for the platform, prompting the team to address the situation before inviting more users to join. This development comes in the wake of Twitter implementing limits on the number of tweets users can view daily, leading to frustrations among its user base. As the Bluesky team works towards resolving the performance issues, Twitter users are exploring alternatives like Mastodon as well.
Bluesky announced the temporary pause in new sign-ups to address the performance issues it has been facing. Despite requiring an invite code to join Bluesky, the influx of new users from Twitter has posed a challenge for the platform. Bluesky assured its users that the team is actively working on resolving the issues and promised to provide updates on when invite codes will resume functionality. They expressed enthusiasm for welcoming more users to their beta version in the near future.
Bluesky’s status page currently acknowledges the “degraded performance” experienced by the platform, with the first notice of issues appearing earlier in the day. Users have reported slow loading times, particularly on the web, while the iOS app seems to offer a relatively smoother experience. Bluesky has recognized the “record-high traffic” and is making efforts to address the situation. Mobile app updates are being rolled out in an attempt to improve performance, as shared by Bluesky engineer Paul Frazee.
The recent issues with Twitter began when the platform started blocking unregistered users, citing data privacy concerns. Elon Musk, Twitter owner, referred to this measure as a “temporary emergency measure” to counter the rampant data pillaging affecting regular users. Furthermore, Twitter introduced limits on the number of tweets users can view in a day, which added to user frustrations. The combination of these developments has led many Twitter users to explore alternative platforms such as Bluesky and Mastodon.
Mastodon, another decentralized social network similar to Bluesky, has also witnessed a significant influx of new users. A tracking service indicates that Mastodon has gained over 26,000 new accounts within the last day alone. This surge in interest demonstrates the growing demand for decentralized social media platforms and the desire for alternatives to traditional centralized platforms like Twitter.
Bluesky’s decision to temporarily pause sign-ups due to the overwhelming response from Twitter users highlights the demand for decentralized alternatives in the social media landscape. As Bluesky works to resolve its performance issues, users continue to explore other platforms such as Mastodon. This ongoing shift in user behavior indicates a growing preference for platforms that prioritize privacy, data ownership, and freedom from centralized control. It will be interesting to observe how these decentralized alternatives evolve and whether they can offer a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional social media giants.
