The microblogging wars are in full effect. In recent weeks, Bluesky has become the hottest social media platform in terms of short-term growth after the 2024 election. And while X owner Elon Musk may be too busy with other matters to care much about that (for now), Meta's Adam Mosseri seems a bit more concerned. Yesterday, he announced changes to Threads that appear to be a direct response to Bluesky's recent success.

Threads is a microblogging site that has always been a bit different than X/Twitter, though it is often considered X's closest competitor (well, until Bluesky took off this month). Twitter has traditionally been about connecting with people that you, the user, want to follow. Often, they may be celebrities, politicians, or other notable figures, but just as often X/Twitter users are on the platform to follow their friends and colleagues -- and follow conversations in real time.

Threads, since it launched last year, has worked a bit differently. While you can follow your friends and colleagues, the platform has put a focus on connecting ordinary users with brands, influencers, and other creators who use the platform full-time. This is what Threads's algorithm has always been tailored for -- showing you content from people you don't necessarily know or follow. In this way, Threads is a lot like TikTok, built for discovery.

But Threads, like every other social media platform, wants to see user growth. So with large numbers of users abandoning X for Bluesky in recent weeks, Meta clearly wants in on the action. However, people joining Bluesky seem to be seeking a more Twitter-like experience than the one Threads provides. They want a platform where they see content from the people they choose to follow and easily see posts in chronological order.