Social networking platform Bluesky has reached a major milestone, surpassing 40 million users, and is now preparing to roll out a new feature: “dislikes”. This upcoming beta test aims to enhance personalization across the platform’s Discover feed and other content streams by allowing users to signal what they prefer to see less of.
The announcement was part of a broader update focused on improving conversation quality and user control. Alongside the introduction of dislikes, Bluesky is implementing several refinements, including:
- Enhanced detection of toxic or spammy replies
- Improved reply ranking algorithms
- UI changes to encourage more thoughtful engagement
The dislike feature will serve as a new signal in Bluesky’s personalization engine. When users mark posts with a dislike, the system will learn to deprioritize similar content in their feeds and replies. This goes beyond simple content ranking, it’s part of a larger effort to make Bluesky a space for genuine, respectful, and engaging conversations.
This initiative follows recent tensions on the platform, where some users voiced concerns over moderation policies. While Bluesky is built as a decentralized network, giving users control over their own moderation, some have called for more centralized enforcement against harmful actors. Bluesky, however, remains committed to empowering users with tools to shape their own experience.
Current moderation features include:
- Custom moderation lists for blocking groups of users
- Content filters and muted words
- The ability to subscribe to third-party moderation services
- A feature to detach quote posts, helping reduce unwanted attention and “dunking” culture seen on platforms like X (formerly Twitter)
In addition to dislikes, Bluesky is testing a suite of ranking and design updates aimed at improving the relevance of conversations. One key innovation is the mapping of “social neighborhoods”, clusters of users who frequently interact. This system will prioritize replies from users within your social circle, making conversations more familiar and contextually relevant.
This approach addresses a common issue seen on rival platforms like Meta’s Threads, where users often encounter disjointed conversations from strangers, leading to confusion and disengagement. Bluesky’s latest model also improves the detection and downranking of replies that are toxic, off-topic, spammy, or posted in bad faith, helping clean up threads, search results, and notifications.
Another subtle but impactful change involves the Reply button. Instead of jumping straight to the compose screen, users will now be taken to the full thread, encouraging them to read the conversation before responding. This aims to reduce redundant replies and content collapse, a frequent criticism of Twitter/X.
Finally, Bluesky is making its reply settings more visible, reminding users they can control who is allowed to respond to their posts, further reinforcing its commitment to user-driven moderation. With these updates, Bluesky continues to evolve as a decentralized social network focused on user empowerment, thoughtful engagement, and intelligent personalization, setting itself apart in a crowded social media landscape.
