Bluesky, the decentralized Twitter alternative backed by Jack Dorsey, has introduced a significant update that allows users to choose their own algorithms. The closed beta service has released a feature called “custom feeds,” enabling users to subscribe to various algorithms and create their own for others to follow.
The functionality is comparable to pinning different lists to the home timeline on Twitter, as users can subscribe to multiple feeds and easily switch between them within the app. However, custom feeds offer more power due to their algorithmic nature.
For instance, there is a feed dedicated to posts from mutual connections—people you follow who also follow you back. Unlike a Twitter list, this feed is dynamic and adjusts as you gain more mutual followers. Although Bluesky’s app still defaults to the chronological “following” timeline, most custom feeds are non-chronological.
These feeds provide insights into the different communities emerging on Bluesky and highlight what’s trending on the platform. Custom feeds have already been explored by early adopters through third-party apps like SkyFeed and Flipboard, which introduced the feature prior to the official Bluesky app.
While anyone can currently create a feed on Bluesky, the process is technically involved. Bluesky’s protocol engineer, Paul Frazee, mentioned that future updates will make it easier for users to create custom feeds directly within the app.
This update has the potential to be a defining feature for Bluesky. Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, believes that algorithmic choice can address concerns about perceived manipulation of timelines. It also offers a glimpse into the platform’s future direction. Graber envisions users having control over content moderation, with the ability to adjust the level of moderation and filtering to suit their preferences.
Bluesky aims to establish a social media architecture that combines third-party services into a seamless user experience, recognizing that an open ecosystem can evolve more rapidly than a single company’s approach to curation or moderation. By providing interfaces for innovation in these areas, Bluesky aims to create a dynamic and user-driven social experience.
The concept of custom algorithms has long been advocated by Jack Dorsey, who suggested the idea of user-selectable algorithms during his tenure as Twitter’s CEO. The introduction of this feature comes at a time when social media algorithms are under industry-wide scrutiny for their impact on users, with concerns raised about potential bias. Custom algorithms appeal to users because they offer transparency regarding prioritization and the ability to switch between different experiences, most of which are not controlled by the platform.
