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Brazil’s ban on Elon Musk’s X platform has led to a surge in Bluesky users, with the app gaining two million new users in a week and topping the iOS App Store in the country.
Key Points
- Brazil’s ban on Elon Musk’s social media platform X has driven a significant increase in users for its rival, Bluesky.
- Bluesky reported gaining two million new users within a week following the ban.
- The app experienced outages and performance issues due to the unprecedented traffic surge.
- Brazil’s Supreme Court banned X after the platform refused to comply with content moderation orders.
- Bluesky quickly became the top free app on Brazil’s iOS App Store, with Threads by Meta also seeing increased interest.
The recent ban of Elon Musk’s social media platform X in Brazil has led to a surge in users flocking to smaller rival Bluesky, significantly boosting its profile in the country. In just one week, Bluesky reported gaining two million new users, reflecting a rapid shift as Brazilians search for alternative platforms to express their views.
The surge in user activity has not been without its challenges. Bluesky developer Paul Frazee acknowledged the strain on the platform, noting in a post that the app had experienced outages and performance issues due to the unexpected influx of traffic. “We’ve never seen traffic like this,” Frazee remarked, asking users to bear with the company as they work through the technical difficulties.
The rise in Bluesky’s popularity comes on the heels of a Brazilian Supreme Court decision to suspend the X platform nationwide. The suspension followed X’s refusal to comply with court orders related to its content moderation policies and a request to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil. The decision was upheld by a Supreme Court panel on Monday, further solidifying the ban.
The judge responsible for the ruling, Alexandre de Moraes, has also imposed daily fines on individuals and businesses that attempt to access X using virtual private networks (VPNs) or other methods, according to local media reports. X, which boasts an estimated 22 million users in Brazil, now faces significant challenges as its user base seeks alternatives.
As of Wednesday, Bluesky had climbed to the top of Brazil’s iOS App Store as the most downloaded free app, overtaking other platforms such as Threads, Meta’s alternative to X. The spike in Bluesky’s popularity signals a potential shift in the social media landscape in Brazil, as users explore new platforms in response to the ban.
Bluesky’s rapid rise underscores the impact of regulatory decisions on social media usage and highlights the dynamic nature of the digital landscape. With millions of users in Brazil now looking for new platforms, the competition among social media apps is likely to intensify, offering both challenges and opportunities for emerging players like Bluesky.
