Bluesky experiences record-high traffic after Twitter implements reading limits

Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky claims it experienced "record-high traffic" after Twitter owner Elon Musk announced temporary read limits for users. Taking to his Twitter account on July 1, Twitter's executive chairman and CTO announced temporary daily limits on the social media platform.

According to the new limitation, Twitter will restrict the number of posts users can read per day. Musk stated that this temporary limit has been introduced due to "extreme levels of data scraping" and "system manipulation."

As a result, verified accounts, unverified accounts, and new unverified accounts will have different limits on Twitter. The top executive changed the limits multiple times after announcing the new rule. Finally, Musk decided to allow verified accounts to view 10,000 posts a day, while he restricted unverified accounts from viewing more than 1,000 tweets daily.

Why are netizens turning to Bluesky?

The new rule implies recently created unverified accounts can view just 500 tweets per day. According to some users, a "rate limit exceeded" error message pops up when they have viewed their allotted number of tweets. As expected, people have started turning to Twitter alternatives like Bluesky. It is worth noting that Bluesky is an emerging text-based social media platform.

To those unaware, Bluesky is backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, and it is currently in an invite-only beta stage. On July 1, the company shared a post stating that its systems were experiencing "some degraded performance as a result of record-high traffic." As a result, the company had to temporarily pause sign-ups and deviate its focus on addressing performance issues.

According to a CNBC report, Bluesky resumed sign-ups on July 2. To recap, Bluesky was incubated within Twitter in 2019. Notably, Dorsey was the CEO at the time. The Bluesky app runs on a decentralised networking technology dubbed AT Protocol, which will probably power upcoming social apps. So, it is safe to assume that AT Protocol could help people maintain their identities on various platforms.

Members of the Bluesky project announced Bluesky Public Benefit LLC in February 2022. While Dorsey was one of the founding board members, Jay Graber was appointed as the company's chief executive officer. Taking to its official Twitter account on April 26, Bluesky confirmed that it received $13 million (£10,155,275 ) in funding.

The company said it will use the money to "ensure we have the freedom and independence to get started on R&D." According to the company's blog post, Bluesky reached over 50,000 users by the end of April 2023. Aside from Bluesky, there are numerous emerging social apps that could give Twitter a run for its money. For example, Mastodon, a decentralised messaging app, garnered huge popularity among people back in November.

More Twitter rivals are expected to arrive soon

Much to Musk's chagrin, Instagram is also prepping to launch a Twitter-like text app soon. According to a report by The Verge, Meta's Twitter competitor will carry the "Threads" moniker. Also, it has already been listed on the Google Play store. Moreover, the app has been subject to some official-looking leaks before launch.

A slew of pictures of the app have been making the rounds on social media platforms for a while now. Meta is still reportedly working on the app, but it is available to a limited number of users. The app is currently available on the App Store exclusively for iPhone and iPad. The word on the street is that Threads will launch on July 6.

Just like Twitter, Threads will allow users to share text-based posts. The screenshots on the App Store listing suggest Threads posts can be liked, reshared, and commented on. Instagram users will be able to follow accounts they follow on the photo-sharing app without changing their usernames. It will be interesting to see whether Threads and other upcoming social apps will be able to take advantage of Twitter's problems.