New Democrat MP Charlie Angus determined he had sufficient.
“I’ve tried thrice to get off X as a result of it’s a dismal, poisonous, gap of disinformation,” mentioned Angus, who used to often submit to his 47,200 followers on X, previously often called Twitter.
“After seeing what went down with the Trump election, the belligerent position of Elon Musk in undermining democracy, there isn’t any manner that I will be a part of that.”
A couple of days in the past, Angus opened an account on Bluesky, a social media platform that started as a analysis challenge at Twitter earlier than reducing ties with Twitter after Musk acquired the corporate and rebranded it as X.
“I had no concept what to anticipate,” Angus mentioned. “I assumed I might find yourself with 10 followers and be simply calling out within the wilderness. It has been an exceptional expertise. I really feel like I’ve woken up sober after a month on a bender with rot intestine.”
Whereas Angus has garnered 4,700 followers over a couple of days, a fraction of his following on X, he says engagement is up and the type of hate and risk he has skilled on X is manner down. He says he’ll hold his Twitter account, for now, however has switched to posting on Bluesky.
He isn’t alone.
Whereas some folks joined Bluesky in 2023 — when it launched as an invite-only service — within the wake of the U.S. election, the platform has exploded in recognition. In Canada, the pattern has included members of Parliament. A depend by Ontario Chronicle recognized not less than 21 MPs with accounts on Bluesky, together with NDP Chief Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois Chief Yves-François Blanchet.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has 6.5 million followers on X, is not but on Bluesky however hasn’t dominated it out, mentioned spokesperson Jenna Ghassabeh in a press release to CBC.
“The Prime Minister doesn’t at present have a Bluesky account,” mentioned Ghassabeh. “We are going to proceed to interact on a variety of present and rising social media platforms and join with Canadians the place they’re at.”
Aides to Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre, who has 1.1 million followers on X, didn’t reply to questions from Ontario Chronicle. The accounts in his identify on Bluesky are parody accounts.
‘Reconfiguration’ of social media panorama
Inexperienced Celebration Chief Elizabeth Might, who has 308,400 followers on X, mentioned in an e mail response she is in search of a viable various.
“I’m fairly disgusted by X-Twitter and the way its algorithms are utilized in rage-farming and misinformation…We actually want a public bulletin board that is freed from corruption and manipulation.”
In the meantime, the Inexperienced Celebration has opened an account on Bluesky, she mentioned.
The Treasury Board says every authorities division can resolve whether or not to proceed to make use of a social media platform, but when they need to open an account on a brand new platform, they want the approval of the Privy Council workplace (in contrast to particular person workers or politicians, who can do as they select).
Pierre-Alain Bujold, spokesperson for the PCO, mentioned departments at present use a variety of platforms to succeed in Canadians together with Fb, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube, however so far, none have requested to begin accounts on Bluesky.
WATCH | Quebec politicians additionally ditching X for Bluesky:
Why some Quebec politicians are ditching X for Bluesky
It seems to be fairly just like X, previously often called Twitter, however some politicians say Bluesky is crammed with extra constructive dialogue than its counterpart. Officers just like the mayors of Montreal and Laval have began utilizing it.
In current days Bluesky has grown quickly, typically attracting 1,000,000 new customers a day. It now boasts greater than 22 million accounts. Registered as a public profit company, it’s owned by CEO Jay Graber together with the Bluesky crew and has an estimated 20 workers.
Philip Mai, co-director of the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan College, mentioned they’re seeing a shift in the place folks spend their time on-line.
“Mainly, what we’re seeing is a reconfiguration of the social media panorama,” mentioned Mai. “Lots of issues are nonetheless up in flux, however you possibly can actually see that folks, eyes are a little bit bit extra open now because the [U.S.] election they usually’re in search of mainly a brand new residence.”
X influenced U.S. election, specialists say
A current Australian examine steered that X modified its algorithm through the U.S. election to amplify Republican voices across the identical time that Musk, who has 205 million followers on X, threw his help to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who went on to win the election.
Mai and Aengus Bridgman, director of the Media Ecosystem Observatory, each say the examine has not been peer-reviewed and did not take a look at a big sufficient pattern of accounts.
Nevertheless, they agree X did affect the U.S. election.
Bridgman mentioned X amplifies what Musk posts.
“He has so many followers,” he mentioned. “He has a lot of a attain on that platform, and so any form of algorithmic tweak is more likely to actually amplify his content material.”
Bridgman mentioned the Observatory ran a mini examine engagement on X and located that whereas engagement — which incorporates folks studying and commenting on posts — with Democrats had remained fixed, there was a marked change in engagement with Republicans.
“Republican content material, engagement with Republican content material and high Republicans has exploded,” he mentioned.
Mai mentioned many right-leaning accounts on X have greater audiences to begin.
“Round July, there was some tweak,” he mentioned. “We do not know precisely what as a result of X is now mainly a black field to researchers like us on the skin. However if you change the algorithm to spice up all of the accounts on the platform, it’s going to at all times increase whoever has probably the most followers to start with.”
‘Echo chamber’ issues
Mai mentioned X’s and Musk’s affect might lengthen to the subsequent Canadian election.
“That is one thing very regarding,” he mentioned. “That is an outdoor drive that may have the power to affect and steer the election in a specific manner.”
Bridgman mentioned there are a selection of issues that Musk — whom Trump has named to co-lead a brand new Division of Authorities Effectivity in his administration to seek out value financial savings — or X might do to affect the subsequent Canadian election that might be laborious to detect.
“In a world the place Musk is so nakedly partisan and has already messaged or posted quite a few occasions about Trudeau, that is actually one thing to be involved about.”
Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes shares these issues.
“International interference for positive and that’s undoubtedly one of many massive points with X,” she mentioned.
“We noticed what it did within the States and what it might do anyplace. It nonetheless has an infinite quantity of people that help it and who use it.”
Mendes will hold her account on X however has lately opened one on Bluesky.
“I’m fed up with X so I assumed it was time to maneuver to one thing extra convivial. It is so bloody poisonous.”
WATCH | X is turning into a platform for the laborious proper? 
Will a consumer exodus flip X right into a hard-right platform?
X, previously often called Twitter, noticed its largest consumer exodus because the Elon Musk takeover after Donald Trump’s election. The Nationwide asks two social media specialists to interrupt down whether or not X is turning into a platform for the laborious proper, and what occurs when folks solely work together on-line with folks they agree with.
Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull is likely one of the few MPs who’ve been on Bluesky since 2023 and now plans to make use of it extra steadily.
“I discover it to be a refreshing world City Corridor the place followers can have interaction in open dialogue immediately with MPs with out the standard abuse and for me to share the numerous initiatives I’m engaged on,” he mentioned in an e mail.
Nevertheless, some have expressed issues that the exodus of many progressive customers from X to Bluesky dangers making a left-wing echo chamber.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner opened a Bluesky account a couple of days in the past. She has posted a couple of occasions however she stays extra energetic on X.
“As an experiment, I created an account on bl**$ky,” she wrote in a submit on each platforms. “Based mostly on the feedback I’ve obtained over there, I can safely say it’s not the bastion of open, free, good thought many are making it out to be. It is a totally different flavour of echo chamber.”
