Bluesky prioritizes live conversation over scale: The platform is leaning into real-time events to differentiate from X and Threads.

Threads beats X in daily active users on mobile as Meta’s established ad stack makes Threads a safer long-term bet for community-driven social ads.

Bluesky’s growth is defying social media convention. COO Rose Wang told EMARKETER the platform’s momentum comes not from algorithmic reach but from conversation and community. “People are coming for the discussion and staying for the connection,” she said. Bluesky, now past 40 million users, is attracting audiences fleeing top-down platforms and gravitating toward participatory, user-led spaces. Custom feeds and decentralized moderation let culture form organically, giving advertisers a glimpse into early-stage cultural formation. For marketers, Bluesky’s appeal isn’t reach—it’s relevance. As Wang put it, “People still want to gather.” In a fragmented ecosystem, that’s a powerful foundation.

The race to succeed Twitter is maturing into a two-lane race. Meta’s Threads has surged to 150 million daily active users, per Meta, while decentralized rival Bluesky has climbed to 40 million users, per TechCrunch. The post-Twitter world is segmenting. Threads offers scale and a burgeoning ad ecosystem, but Bluesky might be better for more organic brand engagement with specific user groups. For brands, the opportunity lies in balance: Use Threads for audience growth and measurable performance and Bluesky to test tone, voice, and authenticity. Together, they offer a preview of where digital conversation and brand storytelling are headed next.

The news: Bluesky added customizable notifications and activity alerts, helping users avoid notification fatigue and letting marketers reach more engaged audiences. Our take: If Bluesky continues building tools that prioritize user control and low-noise engagement, it could challenge X and Threads, especially among tech-savvy audiences who crave customization. Marketers should tailor content for small, more intentional user circles to increase the likelihood of notification subscriptions. This new feature highlights the importance of brand presence and engagement on Bluesky.

X’s ad business is beginning to recover. But the return to growth is complicated, and there’s still a long road ahead for X’s ad revenues to reach pre-Elon Musk levels.

BuzzFeed’s BF Island aims to redefine social media with AI-driven creativity. But in a market dominated by giants, will it be a fresh start or just another failed pivot?

With new feed-customization and business tools, it’s primed for deeper user engagement. But as ads roll out, brand safety worries could stall advertiser interest.

Instagram is revamping Reels with a follower activity feed while Threads rolls out analytics and tests ads. The moves aim to deepen user engagement and maximize brand exposure.

With Flashes and a video app in the works, Bluesky is positioning itself as the go-to alternative for users abandoning Meta’s ad-heavy platforms.

Bluesky’s funding round contrasts with Meta: The smaller social platform is gaining ground, but its ad model remains a question.

Bluesky’s funding round contrasts with Meta: The smaller social platform is gaining ground, but its ad model remains a question.

On today’s podcast episode, our analyst Bill Fisher asks Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, Senior Forecasting Analyst Zach Goldner, and Senior Forecasting Director Oscar Orozco about the most interesting eMarketer international forecasts of the past year, as well as what we can expect for 2025.

Cyberattacks and overloads disrupt industries: From telecom strikes to service failures, 2024’s outages underline the fragility of tech systems and the urgent need for diversification and resilience strategies.

Bluesky, the microblogging alternative to X, has found impressive growth and public interest following the US elections, adding 1 million new users in a single day. However, its murky monetization plans have left its value for marketers unclear.

Bluesky mulls a future with ads: CEO Jay Graber said the platform could put ads in search results as it searches for revenues.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether Bluesky can sustain this user growth momentum, how much of a threat it is to X (Twitter), and if in fact it is Threads that is actually about to snatch the microblogging crown. Tune in to the discussion with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, and Analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.

The social app’s porous data security could undermine trust. Its decentralized vision won’t matter if users feel their content is AI fodder without consent.

xAI’s plan for a standalone app may expand user access, but controversial outputs and app store policies could undermine its adoption and growth.

Threads enhances browsing with custom feeds: faster, simpler feed setup aims to attract users amid bluesky’s accelerating growth.