Arts organisations among millions of new Bluesky adopters

Arts organisations are among the millions of users who have launched new accounts on Bluesky, a rival social media platform to X, following the results of the US election.

In the past week, companies including Donmar Warehouse, National Theatre Scotland and Orange Tree Theatre have begun posting on the site, which allows users to moderate their online experience.

Meanwhile, others, such as the Royal Albert Hall, The Old Vic and the Bush Theatre, have a presence on the site but have not yet begun sharing content.

In its first post, the Orange Tree Theatre wrote: “We’re continuing to post on the other site for now, but we’ll also be posting here from now on!”

According to Bluesky, which is primarily owned by Jay Graber, the platform has gained six million new users since September, bringing the total to more than 19 million users worldwide.

The Guardian reports that X had more than 225 million users in September 2023, after millions left the site following its takeover by tech billionaire Elon Musk and its rebranding from Twitter.

Musk is a supporter of Donald Trump and was recently appointed to lead the US government’s “efficiency department” by the president-elect.

Exiting X

Last week, Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation Vamos Theatre said it had decided to cease using the X platform.

“This is our carefully considered response to the changes at X that have significantly impacted user safety and content visibility and which no longer align with our organisational values,” said the organisation on its website.

“Since being bought by Elon Musk in 2022, changes at X have created a very different platform environment. The deterioration of safety features, such as reduced moderation and incentivising violent and disturbing content, and the growing prevalence of cyberbullying, hate speech, and harassment mean it is no longer a place where we wish to connect with our audiences.

“We no longer trust the platform’s commitment to fostering a secure online environment, we do not wish to support the actions of its owner, and fundamentally, our decision to leave X is rooted in our unwavering commitment to the principles of diversity, inclusion, safety, empathy and kindness, both online and off.”

Glasgow School of Art and Scottish Contemporary Art Network both announced in August they would no longer post on X but did not comment on their reasons.

In a January post about leaving the platform, the Association of Cultural Enterprises said: “Many organisations are now questioning their position on [X].”

“Maybe this is the perfect time to ask ourselves, does every organisation need to be on Threads, or Snapchat, or even Tik-Tok?

“Budgets are tight, and good social media is time-consuming. So wouldn’t it be better if we focused on quality over quantity when resources are limited, and staff time and energy is finite? I say resist the pressure from above to jump on the latest bandwagon, and make a strong case for which platforms are right for you to invest in.”

Arts Professional is on Bluesky @artsprofessional.co.uk. Join us there.