Social Network Bluesky Introduces “Dislikes” Feature to Improve Personalization
Social network Bluesky recently hit a milestone of 40 million users and has announced plans to start testing a “dislikes” feature to enhance personalization on its main Discover feed and other areas of the platform. This new feature aims to allow users to indicate their preferences by disliking certain posts, helping the system learn what type of content they want to see less of.
Alongside this update, Bluesky has also introduced several conversation control enhancements, including improvements to replies, better detection of toxic comments, and prioritization of more relevant conversations for individual users. These changes are part of Bluesky’s efforts to create a space for “fun, genuine, and respectful exchanges.”
Despite some users calling for stricter moderation on the platform, Bluesky remains focused on providing tools for users to manage their own experience. Features such as moderation lists, content filters, muted words, and the ability to subscribe to moderation services aim to give users more control over their interactions on the platform.
In addition to the dislikes feature, Bluesky is testing various ranking updates, design changes, and feedback tools to enhance conversations on the network. One notable update is the introduction of “social neighborhoods,” which map out connections between users who frequently interact with each other. Bluesky plans to prioritize replies from users within these neighborhoods to make conversations more relevant and familiar.
Bluesky’s approach to social neighborhoods could address challenges faced by competitors like Threads, which have struggled with displaying relevant conversations to users. By focusing on mapping out these social connections, Bluesky aims to create a more cohesive and engaging user experience.
Furthermore, Bluesky has improved its detection of toxic, spammy, and off-topic replies, downranking these in threads, search results, and notifications. Changes to the Reply button now direct users to the full thread before composing a response, reducing content collapse and redundant replies on the platform.
Lastly, Bluesky has enhanced its reply settings feature to make it more visible to users, empowering them to control who can respond to their posts. These updates reflect Bluesky’s commitment to empowering users and fostering meaningful interactions on the platform.
