Bluesky now allows users to personalize their main Discover feeds. The social network is rolling an updated version of its app that lets users offer feedback on its algorithmic feed so it can better customize it using the “Show more like this” and “Show less like this” buttons in a post’s menu to select the content the algorithm displays.
The change will help Bluesky users create a schedule that takes into account their own preferences rather than what the company thinks they should see. The feature is somewhat similar to X (formerly Twitter), which allows users to click an “I’m not interested in this post” option on its own For You feed.
The new feature integrates an already powerful set of controls for shaping your Bluesky experience.
Unlike centralized social media platforms, Bluesky allows users to make their own own custom streams which others can subscribe to. These feeds may have different themes or algorithms than Bluesky’s Discover feed, which gives you more ways to find interesting content on the network.
In addition, the social network allows you to subscribe to several moderation services, so you can decide what kind of posts you want to see and what you prefer to stay hidden. Users can also build and run their own independent monitoring services using Bluesky’s tool, Ozone.
By putting such controls in the hands of its users, Bluesky strives to create a platform whose policies and rules are not decided by a few executives at the top, but one where users can create their own experience. Unfortunately, the decentralized Twitter/X alternative has struggled in the past with where the line should be in terms of what users should moderate and when they should intervene.
In its early days, Bluesky repeatedly faced criticism for mishandling moderation challenges, such as allowing racially slurred usernames to pass its filters.
Additionally, when Bluesky responded to the demand for moderation, it lost the support of its first backer, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. In recent interviewDorsey explained why he stepped down from the board, saying that when Bluesky started firing people from the service, he felt the company was repeating Twitter’s mistakes.
“This is not a protocol that is truly decentralized. It’s another application,” he said of the decision.
Despite Dorsey’s concerns, Bluesky has continued to put more tools in the hands of users, whether it’s designing your own streams, algorithms, moderation services, or now customizing the discovery stream.
Meanwhile, although Bluesky’s app remains the largest server running the decentralized AT Protocol, the company recently pointed to other efforts underway to build a wider network, including a blogging platform whtwnd.comalso based on the AT Protocol (or atproto for short).
To date, Bluesky has grown to approximately 5.6 million users. The company recently said other big changes are on the way, including support for videos, DMs, better custom streams and anti-harassment features, OAuth, and more.
