Bluesky, the decentralized social network initially conceived by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, announced on Friday it has surged to 40 million users. The platform simultaneously unveiled a beta test for a dislike feature and a moderation model update aimed at cleaning up toxic replies and spam.
The milestone comes as the platform continues to differentiate itself from competitors like X and Meta's (NASDAQ:META) Threads by giving users greater control over their social media experience, according to TechCrunch.
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New Dislike Feature Aims To Personalize User Feeds
The dislike feature will function as a private signal rather than a public engagement tool, according to Bluesky. When users select dislike on a post, the system will interpret it as a cue to reduce similar content in that person's feed.
The signal will contribute to how posts appear in the Discover section and other recommendation-driven feeds, while also playing a limited role in determining reply order within conversations.
Bluesky said the dislike action will remain confidential, primarily shaping each individual's experience, with only a subtle influence on what people within their connected social circles may see.
Bluesky Maps ‘Social Neighborhoods’ To Boost Relevant Conversations
Bluesky said it is developing a feature that identifies "social neighborhoods," or groups of users who interact and reply to one another frequently. The system will prioritize responses from those closer to a user's own network to create conversations that feel more relevant and consistent.
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The approach aims to address a challenge faced by Meta's Threads, where conversations sometimes appear disjointed. Last year, newsletter writer Max Read observed that Threads often dropped users into confusing feeds where unrelated conversations would appear mid-story. Read noted that figuring out who was replying to whom became nearly impossible, with posts appearing from nowhere and leading nowhere.
Platform Rolls Out Improved Toxic Content Detection
Bluesky also introduced an updated moderation model intended to detect replies that appear toxic, irrelevant, or written in bad faith. The system reduces the visibility of such responses across discussion threads, search results, and notifications.
According to Bluesky, the platform also adjusted how the Reply button functions on primary posts. Instead of opening the compose window immediately, it now directs users to the entire thread first, encouraging them to review the discussion before joining it. The change is designed to limit repetitive responses and improve context.
In addition, Bluesky refreshed its reply settings to make the controls easier to find, allowing users to decide who can respond to their posts.
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Bluesky Prioritizes User Control Over Centralized Moderation
The recent feature updates followed a period of tension among users who raised concerns about moderation practices, TechCrunch reported. Although Bluesky functions as a decentralized network that lets users manage their own moderation, some participants have called for the company to take stronger action against controversial accounts.
The platform has maintained its focus on user-controlled safety tools rather than centralized enforcement. According to the company, current options include moderation lists that enable blocking multiple accounts at once, content filters, muted words, and subscriptions to third-party moderation services.
Bluesky also offers an option to detach quote posts, a measure intended to reduce unwanted attention and address the toxic “dunking” culture that has long influenced X, where users quote posts to publicly mock or criticize the original author, turning discussions into viral pile-ons.
Bluesky said its goal is to create a space for better conversations rather than louder ones, pointing out that it operates without engagement-driven incentives.
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