Bluesky Emerges as a Rival to X in Scientific Research Community
Bluesky, a decentralized and open-source social media platform, is gaining traction as a rival to X, particularly in the scientific research community. A recent study conducted by the University of Sheffield in England and the Renmin University of China found that Bluesky boasts higher interactive engagement and content originality for scholarly posts than X. The study analyzed over 2.6 million Bluesky posts referencing scholarly content between January 2023 and July 2025, revealing a significant surge in scholarly activity on the platform since November 2024.
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Growth and Engagement on Bluesky
Bluesky’s growth can be attributed to the migration of users away from X, following changes in content moderation and leadership under Elon Musk. The study found that posts, users, and referenced articles on Bluesky have been increasing steadily, with a peak in January 2025. Although activity has stabilized since then, the platform has established itself as a credible and lasting platform for science communication. Er-Te Zheng, one of the study’s authors and a Ph.D. student at the University of Sheffield, noted that the stabilization of posts, users, and referenced articles suggests that Bluesky is not a short-lived trend.
Bluesky users are showing higher levels of engagement, with over 48% of scholarly posts receiving at least 10 likes, and 34% being reposted at least 10 times. In contrast, previous research on X found that only 3.9% to 7.5% of scientific research posts received more than 10 likes, and just 1.4% to 4.4% received 10 reposts or more. Additionally, Bluesky fosters more original content, with only 6.3% of analyzed posts containing nothing more than an article title, compared to X where title replication rates range from 11.8% to 92.4%.
Comparison to X
Although Bluesky still has a smaller user base compared to X, which had around 600 million monthly active users as of May 2024, the platform’s high levels of engagement and originality suggest it is carving out a distinct niche. Bluesky’s decentralized and open-source network gives users more control and personalization, differentiating it from X. The study’s findings suggest that Bluesky users participate more actively and with greater originality in interactions around scholarly articles.
For more information on the study and its findings, visit Here
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