Bluesky’s Custom Algorithms Could Be the Future of Social Media

Social media algorithms can do wonderful things. In March, CEO Jay Graber said the company would replace the “master algorithm” favored by its rivals with “an open and diverse ‘marketplace of algorithms.’” At present, creating a feed requires some technical knowledge, but Bluesky developer Paul Frazee previously skeeted that it will become easier for users to generate their own feeds. “We need more flexibility and more user choice.” It’d be a stark departure from where Twitter is heading, where it’s increasingly difficult to find the good posts among the blue ticks. “It feels like a marriage of Reddit and Twitter, against this decentralized, Web 3.0 background,” says Jess Maddox, assistant professor at the University of Alabama and an internet culture expert. Maddox is one of the Bluesky users who has added “Cat Pics,” described by its creator as “a feed of cat pictures from the whole network,” to her feed.