Bluesky, the social platform behind Bluesky, has been experimenting with new features designed to improve conversations on its site. The company's latest innovation is a dislike button that allows users to signal which posts they'd rather not see in their Discover feed.
The experiment is part of a broader initiative by Bluesky to build a system that recognizes and values the social connections we make online, essentially creating a "social neighborhood" based on people with whom we already interact or would likely get along. By prioritizing replies from users within this network, Bluesky aims to foster more relevant, familiar, and less contentious conversations.
To refine its approach, Bluesky is beta-testing the dislike button in private, aiming to better understand what kinds of posts users prefer to avoid seeing. However, this new feature could also impact reply rankings, potentially affecting the visibility of posts from other users within the same social neighborhood.
In an effort to enhance user experience without limiting interactions with just those who follow us, Bluesky is tweaking its Reply button as well. The updated feature would display the full thread before initiating a response, rather than launching into a new blank post. This change comes alongside a revised model for detecting problematic replies.
The company hopes that these tweaks will improve the overall social climate by making conversations feel more connected and less confrontational. However, some critics have raised concerns about the "social neighborhood" concept, suggesting it could reinforce users in their online echo chambers rather than addressing deeper moderation issues.
Bluesky's efforts to provide users with more control over their experience are seen as a positive step, while its approach to fostering social connections raises questions about the potential for increased polarization. As the company continues to refine its features, it will be essential to strike a balance between promoting meaningful interactions and maintaining a respectful online environment.
The experiment is part of a broader initiative by Bluesky to build a system that recognizes and values the social connections we make online, essentially creating a "social neighborhood" based on people with whom we already interact or would likely get along. By prioritizing replies from users within this network, Bluesky aims to foster more relevant, familiar, and less contentious conversations.
To refine its approach, Bluesky is beta-testing the dislike button in private, aiming to better understand what kinds of posts users prefer to avoid seeing. However, this new feature could also impact reply rankings, potentially affecting the visibility of posts from other users within the same social neighborhood.
In an effort to enhance user experience without limiting interactions with just those who follow us, Bluesky is tweaking its Reply button as well. The updated feature would display the full thread before initiating a response, rather than launching into a new blank post. This change comes alongside a revised model for detecting problematic replies.
The company hopes that these tweaks will improve the overall social climate by making conversations feel more connected and less confrontational. However, some critics have raised concerns about the "social neighborhood" concept, suggesting it could reinforce users in their online echo chambers rather than addressing deeper moderation issues.
Bluesky's efforts to provide users with more control over their experience are seen as a positive step, while its approach to fostering social connections raises questions about the potential for increased polarization. As the company continues to refine its features, it will be essential to strike a balance between promoting meaningful interactions and maintaining a respectful online environment.
It's all about giving users more control over what they see in their Discover feed, right? And I think it's dope that they're trying to create these "social neighborhoods" based on people we interact with online. It's like, who doesn't want to see posts from folks who vibe with them, you know?
And some people are right to question whether this "social neighborhood" concept might just reinforce online echo chambers... that would be no good, fam.
And the revised model for detecting problematic replies? Yeah, that's a major win.
! I mean, who hasn't had to scroll through a bunch of posts that aren't really for them? It's like they're trying to force us into this never-ending feed of stuff we don't want to see 
. But seriously, having the option to "dislike" certain posts could really help us curate our online experience and avoid some of that unnecessary drama.
. Full threads? Yes, please! No more feeling like we're starting from scratch every time we respond to a post. And I love how Bluesky is trying to tackle the whole "social neighborhood" thing. It's all about creating spaces where people can feel more connected and less judged, right?
!
. But at the same time, I worry about how it could be used to just hide stuff from people who don't agree with us 
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. And that's not really the internet, right? I don't want to see my posts only shared with people who are just gonna say yes all day 
.
The dislike button is like, the ultimate sanity-saver. But at the same time, I'm not sure it's gonna solve all our problems... I mean, if we're being real, some people are just gonna use it to avoid talking to their aunt about her cat. 
Anyway, kudos to Bluesky for trying to mix things up and prioritize user experience. Now let's see how they balance that with keeping the drama to a minimum... fingers crossed! 
But what if it just creates more echo chambers? Like, I follow people but they're still gonna see all this other drama and be like "ugh" 
. And what's with the new Reply button feature? That sounds super helpful for avoiding unnecessary threads... or is it just gonna make me think twice before responding every time? 
i think its a great idea to give users more control over what they see on their feed 
but at the same time, i'm worried it could make echo chambers even worse 
we need to make sure these features promote real conversations not just avoiding certain ppl 
anyway, love that bluesky's trying to improve user experience 
, especially if it means less noise from folks we don't really care about. But on the other hand, I fear that it might create these super curated neighborhoods where only our closest online friends show up 
... which sounds kinda nice but also super isolating 
. What if people start to avoid engaging with others outside their network? 
. And yeah, let's be real, dislike buttons can always lead to a whole new set of problems 
. And hey, if it means reducing the amount of toxic comments in our feeds, then I'm totally here for it 
. I mean, who doesn't love hiding from content that's actually worth engaging with? It's not like we need more ways to avoid being exposed to new ideas or perspectives. Can you imagine the social connections we'll make by only interacting with people who share our exact views? Sounds like a total blast party 
.
. Like, can't they just let me see whatever I want and not care about my online friends? 
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. Less content that makes me want to scream or ignore would definitely make my day better. But I'm still worried about the reply rankings and how that might affect users who aren't part of our "neighborhood". Can we really trust Bluesky to get this stuff right?