Technology is all about evolving and moving into the future. But sometimes change is hard, and even the savviest tech enthusiasts can become comfortable and complacent with what they know despite its increasing flaws. Eventually, enough is enough. I loved Twitter, but using the social media juggernaut has felt like being a frog trapped in boiling water for years. There’s no better time than the new year to make a big change, and in 2025, I’m dumping Twitter for Bluesky. More than just an escape hatch, Bluesky has (at least for the moment) restored my faith that social media can be fun again.
Twitter Was Good, X Is Awful
Twitter used to be a good time, too. Admittedly, I was a Twitter skeptic when I was forced to join the service for a college journalism class more than a decade ago. What could possibly be interesting about an endless feed of 140-character half-thoughts? But Twitter quickly became the online hub for the media ecosystem (even if it never led to that much traffic for any of our websites). Twitter became our daily routine. You could post, see friends’ posts, and marvel at bad takes and brands trying to act hip.
(Credit: Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)
Twitter was never as big as Facebook or Instagram, and TikTok probably has more cultural influence today. But it always felt like “The Internet” to me. The platform unified the energy of blog posts, forums, and everyone’s personal sites from the early fragmented web. I believe that is the key to making modern, massive social media more potent than previous internet culture. It creates a convincing illusion that truly everyone is on this platform. Where else would the president, the pope, and Dril all share the same screen? Together, all of this made Twitter a truly special place to be, a daily source of happiness.
Unfortunately, the good times wouldn’t last, and Twitter’s painful decline has made Myspace’s exit look graceful. Instead of some complicated explanation, the reason for Twitter’s death is refreshingly simple: Elon Musk killed it. Ever since ironically spending far too much money on the site in 2022, Musk has hollowed it out and pumped it back up with harassment. Twitter rejects user privacy and powerful blocking tools while embracing AI bot scraping and awful monetization. Twitter, which I’m never calling “X,” is now tethered to the world’s worst political forces. The happiness turned into hate.
It pains me to say that I haven’t fully pulled the plug on Twitter. I can’t shake the notion that, as a media professional, I “need” an account there. Since the election, my Twitter account has been like my Facebook account, a ghost town purely for self-promotion and to stop someone else from impersonating me. Now, all of my online energy is being spent elsewhere, somewhere much more enjoyable.
The Great Blue Hope
As soon as Twitter’s fall seemed inevitable, multiple challengers rose up to carry on the entertaining legacy. The results were mixed. Hive flopped. Cohost lacked a business plan. Instagram Threads is popular, but feels offputtingly inauthentic. Mastodon is an underrated platform that’s been around for years, but the decentralized nature that makes it so cool for nerds turns off the mainstream users needed for critical mass. And then there’s Bluesky.
(Credit: René Ramos; Bluesky; Hulahop/Shutterstock.com)
Bluesky began as an internal Twitter project in 2019, but by the time the invite-only beta launched in 2023, it was a standalone entity. Still, that initial connection perhaps explains why Bluesky was so well-positioned to take on Twitter. Heck, Twitter’s cofounder, Jack Dorsey, was once on Bluesky’s board. As a blue microblogging service, Bluesky looks like classic Twitter. It has very Twitter-esque posting and sharing features. Bluesky fills the Twitter hole more than its rivals, so the site is experiencing a big boost as folks quit Twitter in droves in search of more smiles.
For now, my project for 2025 is to let Twitter wither away like a vestigial limb, mostly for work updates, while Bluesky becomes my new online home.
Bluesky is good! I love that there’s no algorithm manipulating my feed, just the folks I choose to follow. I love that those folks engage with each other, sharing and liking posts while initiating cool conversations. I love the starter packs, a terrific feature that lets users mass follow accounts based on themes like gaming and technology. Thanks to the service’s starter packs, it took me mere months to gain more followers on Bluesky than Twitter, a platform I used religiously for years.
More than anything, Bluesky lets me return to having fun online, and I desperately missed that. My feed is full of more than just miserable news discussions. I can post half-baked jokes in the morning before a red-eye flight and still see folks riff on it when I land. Like dating apps, social media success comes from both precise technology and ephemeral community-driven vibes. Bluesky is improving its server stability so that there are fewer outages.
Recommended by Our Editors
No, Bluesky isn’t perfect. The site’s culture and vibes are in an awkward and slightly insufferable adolescent stage, the search function could be better, and it’s likely the site will need to do something unpopular to make money. Although the lack of big names and brands (for now) makes Bluesky feel more authentic, it also makes it feel less important. I may want a reprieve from what’s happening in the world, but I use social media to stay plugged into those larger conversations. Finally, even with the best moderation (which Bluesky doesn’t have), a certain amount of bad actors will inevitably crop up wherever large groups of people interact, no matter what name you use. Still, Bluesky is far more upbeat, engaging, and entertaining than the other place.
The Safest Way to ‘Delete’ Your Twitter Account
Bluer Pastures
I was scared to leave Twitter. I made many online friends there, consumed some amazing viral content, and shared work I was extremely proud of. I also don’t like leaving a place without knowing where to go next. But the escape and transition to Bluesky has been smoother and more satisfying than I ever expected. I’m enjoying the web again.
I don’t plan on fully killing my Twitter profile yet, hypocritical as that sounds. Twitter hits new lows every day, and someday, something so disgusting may convince me to nuke my account once and for all. In 2025, Twitter is bound to get worse as the architects of its destruction gain more power on the international stage.
But for now, my project for 2025 is to let Twitter wither away like a vestigial limb, mostly for work updates, while Bluesky becomes my new online home. If you’d like to join me, we have a guide on how to make the switch from Twitter to Bluesky yourself. And if you’re even a little bit terminally online, I implore you to try it. It’s a genuinely good time.
Get Our Best Stories!
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links.
By clicking the button, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy.
You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
About Jordan Minor
Senior Analyst, Software
