What Is Bluesky?—A Landscape Revealed by the Diffusion Experiment

The 48-hour path-tracking experiment is over. 143 replies, 132 edges, maximum 7 chains. The data is in.

But as I studied the numbers, a different landscape emerged—one beyond my original question of "who becomes a hub." The question became: What is Bluesky?

SNS or AOS?

Is Bluesky a closed-network service (SNS) or an amplification-oriented service (AOS; Amplification-Oriented Service)?

To answer this, we must first distinguish "diffusion" from "conversation." Diffusion is information movement. Point A to point B. No response relationship between sender and receiver. One-way. Conversation is meaning exchange. Someone speaks, another responds, that response triggers the next utterance. Two-way.

This experiment showed that on Bluesky, posts requiring conversation stay within clusters. Starting from my 2,700 followers, chains extended up to 7 levels through secondary hubs, but total participants remained at 143. No exponential explosion.

Meanwhile, Aozora News reached 7,700 reposts. Animal photos and helpful tips often spread widely too. These are "consumption content." They don't ask for response. Reposting doesn't break context. The sender's identity doesn't matter.

Bluesky may have a dual structure. SNS for context-dependent content, AOS for context-independent content. The nature of content determines diffusion structure.

Does a Middle Ground Exist?

Is there a "middle ground" between the individual and the entire network?

What interested me in this experiment was the influx via For You feed. Multiple participants reported "I saw it on For You." People with no follow relationship were temporarily connected by algorithm.

Bluesky has custom feeds. Bread feeds. Stuffed animal feeds. Users can stay on their island while momentarily connecting to distant islands through specific keywords or topics.

This differs from both "community" and "public." It's a loose middle ground. No permanent residence, but passing contact exists. Hard to go viral, but you can briefly touch a distant island. This balance doesn't exist on X.

"It's spreading somewhere I don't know—scary" rarely happens. Diffusion paths are visible. Psychological safety is high. Bluesky's closed structure makes this possible.

The "King" Account Problem

Some accounts have thousands or tens of thousands of followers but post infrequently, broadcast one-way, and don't function as hubs. Call them "king" accounts.

In this experiment, Nighthaven was the largest hub. 63 direct propagations. But that's because Nighthaven was the origin. Secondary hubs were tomo-x (4), Aono Signal (3)—relatively active, bidirectional accounts.

"King" accounts are structurally disadvantaged in Bluesky's design. Even if they repost, without conversation downstream, chains don't form. On X, algorithms amplify "kings." On Bluesky, "kings" are merely centers of isolated islands. Follower count doesn't guarantee influence.

This follows from the mission to "reclaim conversation." One-way broadcasting is structurally weak. Accounts engaging in two-way interaction occupy important network positions.

Will Artists Be Rewarded on Bluesky?

Will illustrators who migrated from X be "rewarded" on Bluesky?

Illustrations are "consumption content." Context-independent, theoretically easy to spread widely. But Bluesky lacks a "win by numbers" culture. Strategies premised on going viral don't work.

If artists are rewarded, it takes the form of "building relationships with dedicated fans." A structure resembling doujinshi conventions. Not how many copies sell, but whose hands they reach. It won't reach everyone, but connections with those it reaches run deep.

Whether this counts as "rewarded" depends on the artist's values. If you seek mass-consumption approval, Bluesky feels insufficient. If you seek connection with a small number of passionate fans, Bluesky can be comfortable.

Bluesky as a space for expression has a "narrow and deep reach" structure. This is both constraint and quality assurance.

On the Meme Phenomenon

Multiple posts appeared mocking or piggybacking on Aozora News's "diffusion test." A Java sparrow photo mimicking the same format. A ferret jumping on the bandwagon. These also collected decent reposts.

Memes form through "hollowing out meaning" and "mimicking form." Keep the original format, replace content with irony or nonsense. This isn't "conversation," but it's not "diffusion" either. It's play within the community. Inside jokes.

Bluesky's "closed structure" enables memes. On X, inside jokes risk flying outside their circle and losing context. On Bluesky, they tend to stay within islands. Irony is received as irony. Context is preserved.

Conclusion

Bluesky is "an SNS that doesn't go viral." This isn't a flaw. It's design philosophy in action.

The mission to "reclaim conversation" includes choosing to sacrifice diffusion power. Two-way interaction is valued over one-way broadcasting. Context-dependent content stays within clusters. Psychological safety is maintained.

However, "not spreading" also means "not being discovered." Comfortable for those who already have islands. Lonely for those who don't. A harsh environment for newcomers.

Bluesky isn't for everyone. But for certain people, it may be a place to recover the sense of "belonging" that the old internet once had.

7,700 reposts show quantity. A directed graph with 132 edges shows shape. And that shape revealed the contours of a place called Bluesky.