BlueSky Becomes Scientists’ Social Sphere Despite Slowing Surge
The decentralized social media platform BlueSky, led by former Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, is increasingly becoming the preferred network for scientists across the globe. The shift gained momentum after billionaire Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and Donald Trump’s return to the White House, which triggered a sudden surge in BlueSky’s user base. Though the rapid growth has slowed in recent months, the platform is establishing itself as a serious space for scientific exchange.
A study by the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom revealed that the number of daily science-related posts in August doubled compared to July and was more than three times higher than in March. The findings suggest that BlueSky has gained strong acceptance among the scientific community.
R. T. Zheng, one of the study’s authors, stated, “The sudden surge of scientific discussions on BlueSky at the end of 2024 has continued steadily. Recently, we’ve seen discussions on BlueSky that are as high quality as, and sometimes even surpass, those on X.”
The research team observed that nearly half of all science-related posts on BlueSky received at least ten likes, while one-third were shared ten or more times. By contrast, earlier research showed that on X, only 4.4 percent of posts were shared that frequently.
Analyzing 2.6 million posts over the past two and a half years—including references to more than half a million research papers—the researchers noted that BlueSky posts not only received higher engagement in terms of likes and shares but also generated “deeper and more original conversations in users’ own words,” with greater textual originality than on X.
The report highlighted that many users on BlueSky went beyond simply reposting content; they engaged in discussions, added comments, and directly cited journal names or articles, with 6.3 percent of users doing so. However, the study has not yet undergone full verification or peer review.
According to the findings, one of the key reasons behind this trend is that research-focused posts on BlueSky receive greater attention and are evaluated with more depth than on Elon Musk’s X platform.
Despite these insights, BlueSky has yet to disclose the total number of science-related posts made on its network.
The British daily The Guardian reported that the study’s results come at a time when BlueSky is facing skepticism over declining activity and daily engagement on the platform. It noted that since launching in 2023, BlueSky rapidly grew in popularity, partly fueled by major political developments such as Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency. The platform now boasts over 38 million users. However, since peaking in the fall of 2024, its daily active users, likes, and posts have begun to decline.
