As it looks to maintain its growth momentum, Bluesky is now clearly acknowledging the value of video content in maximizing user retention and engagement.
After launching its own dedicated video feed last week, Bluesky has now also added a separate “Video” tab on user profiles, in order to highlight video content.
Though it looks a lot better on desktop than in the app.
On desktop, the new video tab is displayed as one of three (or four if you have “Feeds”) main options on the profile screen.
Which looks good, simple. A potentially handy addition for users.
On mobile, however, things are getting a little cluttered:
Yeah, that’s a lot going on. There’s a reason that other apps have kept their UI elements like this as simple as possible, in order to help guide users through to the most engaging elements.
I suspect that Bluesky may eventually have to review this listing, and maybe narrow down the options in the mobile app. But for right now, Bluesky’s added yet another profile tab into the mix, which will help users connect with video content specifically.
Which will ideally help Bluesky regain its growth momentum.
The app saw a huge influx of users following the U.S. election, after many people found that Threads was no good for following real-time news discussion. Which meant that the alternative was X, which remains a no-go for many. The alternative to that is Bluesky, which is still the closest to replicating what Twitter was, while it’s also not governed by the whims of billionaire CEOs, who are now making headlines with their own divisive political stances.
Bluesky, at present at least, offers the most independence in this respect, though questions remain as to whether it can maintain its operations, and challenge the bigger players, without ads, and without major investment.
Which could both compromise its integrity in this respect. And while the Bluesky team remains dedicated to its decentralized approach, it’s clearly also following the main trends to boost growth, which could eventually also force a compromise in this respect.
Bluesky’s growth is also slowing, now at 25 million users, and it’s going to be difficult for the platform to compete with the sheer scale and ubiquity of other social apps.
But more tools like this could help to better align it with a broader audience, while independent developers are also building new elements that could enhance and improve the broader Bluesky experience.
Really, decentralized social is a better way to go, diluting the power of the corporate players, and giving more control to users. But gaining mass adoption, and building awareness for such, is going to be a challenge.
Maybe Bluesky’s the one that can bring decentralized social to the mainstream, though history shows us that convenience always wins out.
