Social media marketers have been faced with new incentive to reevaluate where to direct their messages in recent days. In light of the US presidential election and concurrent changes to the user interface and terms of service for Elon Musk’s X, there has reportedly been a mass exodus from the platform formerly known as Twitter. This, of course, follows a series of earlier declines in both its user base and its advertising revenue, which has already gotten some social media marketers thinking about its long-term value and its potential replacements.

The latest bleed of X users is significant not only because of its magnitude but also because of those former users’ clear preference for one of several would-be alternatives. Twitter’s recent losses are proportionally exceeded by the gains enjoyed by upstart social media platform Bluesky, which now boasts over 15 million users. Its broad appeal no doubt stems partly from its superficial similarity to the former Twitter, and partly from policies and moderation that stand in opposition to the direction that platform has gone since Musk’s acquisition.

Among the most recent – and most unpopular – changes spearheaded by Musk is the de facto removal of the block function. While remaining X users can still prevent another user’s posts and replies from showing up in their feed, clicking “block” no longer prevents that user from seeing content from the person who blocked them. By contrast, blocking on Bluesky immediately hides any interactions that a blocked user has had with the person blocking them, effectively preventing other users from carrying on discussion of their disagreements by proxy.

This arguably makes for a less acrimonious user experience, but there are questions to be considered about whether that is a beneficial alternative to X from the standpoint of brands, news outlets, and social media marketers. For better or worse, the reality of social media for the past several years has been that it thrives on controversy and confrontation among users. For the time being, Bluesky may be offering something more tranquil, but it may take some time to decide whether that can be monetized in the same way as its more chaotic competitors.

As of now, Bluesky doesn’t seem to be concerned with that question. It does not display ads, and branded accounts are virtually non-existent. Meanwhile, as well as discouraging excessive conflict, Bluesky avoids pushing shared experiences on users via an algorithm. The standard user feed is populated entirely by posts from other accounts that individual is following, making it difficult if not impossible for posts to go viral outside of their established social circles.

If Bluesky continues to grow but these remain the defining features of the app, it may pose a challenge to brands and social media marketers. But that is not to say that the challenge is insurmountable. If brands decide to start integrating Bluesky into their digital marketing strategies, they may be encouraged to make positive changes to that strategy, as by emphasizing authentic engagement with individual users and tailoring their branded messages to users who consciously and actively follow them, instead of persons glancing at ads in between arguments.