'Reasons may surprise you': Attorney says he's leaving MSNBC -- and joining right-wing TV

[Bluetus]

62. Bluesky is a phenomenon, and the Beltway Dems are mostly missing it

Last edited Sun Feb 16, 2025, 04:52 PM - Edit history (1)

I was hopeful that Mastodon would become the real successor to Twitter and Facebook, but Mastodon has stalled somewhat. It could still be a long-term player if the world moves toward the federated model. But for now, Bluesky is where the action is.

And let's be realistic. We don't know what Bluesky's motives are. For the moment, they are running without any advertising and without any algorithms that shove Bot traffic at you. But that can't do this forever. They openly acknowledge that they will need to add revenue streams, but they also seem to recognize the inherent evil in systems like Twitter and Meta where a single billionaire decides what you will see.

Bluesky is growing rapidly. It has well over 30 million users now. That sounds like a small number compared to what may be 275M active users still on Twitter. However, there is little bot presence on Bluesky because there are no algorithms a bit can exploit and no opportunity to buy access. Bluesky is almost entirely American at this point, and while it is not a purely political site, most of the top users are politics-minded. You have people like Rex Chapman and George Takei, who are somewhat political but also interested in pop culture.

What I'm saying is that as far as US progressive politics are concerned, Bluesky is ALREADY bigger than Twitter. And 30M+ users is a critical mass that will attract others who are less politically engaged, making this a good opportunity to go beyond the "preaching to the choir" atmosphere one has at MSNBC.

It is a different experience. MSNBC is from the couch potato world. People consume Buesky from their phones in little bits and pieces throughout the day. It is a more engaging, active way to get information. And it is bidirectional. You might actually get a response from Mark Cuban, AOC, or one of the other big users if you make an important point or ask a provocative question.

Will Bluesky be a big thing a year from now? I have no idea, but it is happening now. All of us should be there, supporting the strong voices on our side. And any Dem politician who doesn't already understand what Bluesky is and how it can help us communicate should resign now and let a younger, more tech-savvy person take the lead. I say this as a person who is old enough to have voted in the Carter-Ford election. And I note that Elizabeth and Bernie are both older than me, and they get it. Why do we not see Schumer, Jeffries, Pelosi, the Obamas, the Clintons, the Bidens, or Harris on that list? If they aren't engaging to protect our democracy today, when will they?