Where Text-based Social Media is at: The connections with people X, Threads, and Bluesky are Creating

How have the social media consumers use changed over the past few years? While social media is now part and parcel of our lives, it has also evolved in various ways in recent years. In July 2023, Twitter was renamed “X.” Many people expressed surprise at it dropping the name they had loved and found familiar to that point. And also in July 2023, Meta, the company that runs Instagram, released a new text-based social media called “Threads.” Around half a year later in February 2024, the text-based social media “Bluesky,” launched by the co-founder of Twitter, was released to the public.

So how do these similar text-based social media platforms differ in terms of their users’ characteristics and them as apps?
And while text-based social media is evolving in various ways like this, how have the two newly arrived text-based social media apps on the block impacted the state of X use? Let’s look into the state of usage of these three text-based social media apps using data from INTAGE’s single source panel i-SSP®, which delivers media usage log data.

1. Characteristics and user demographics of text-based social media platforms

X, Threads, and Bluesky are all text-based social media apps. But how do they all differ respectively? Let’s examine the state of use and characteristics behind each of these social media platforms. Fig.1 presents the respective usage rates for X, Threads, and Bluesky (by age group and gender).

Fig.1

X’s usage rates are high across all age groups, and increase the younger the age group. On observation of Threads, provided by Meta, the same company as Instagram, it is apparent its usage rates are higher the younger the age group with males, while its usage rate among females is high among those in their 30s ~ 40s. Threads can be characterized by its usage rate among females in their 40s in particular being 5.6 points higher than its usage rate among males in the same age group.

Next, while Bluesky’s usage rate is lower than other text-based social media, it is mainly used by young people. In addition, since it has a similar age/gender composition to X, suggesting that the segment who no longer like X that much may be beginning to use it in tandem with X. Bluesky is also observed to have more “peaceful, subdued” posts than the posts aimed at gaining impressions and slanderous posts on X. Some even note “I like it because it’s like the old Twitter” and “it’s warm like Twitter in the early days”, which suggests it is a place people like because it feels safe and reassuring.

Let’s next take a look at the differences in functionality between each of these text-based social media apps. First of all, their character limit per post is different. X (free accounts) allows up to 140 characters, while Threads allows up to 500 characters, and Bluesky allows up to 300 characters. The two new text-based social media apps, and Threads in particular, may be more suited to freely tweeting about what people want to talk about. Their timeline setting functions also differ. X’s “list” function and Threads’ “custom feed” function enable users to be categorized by specific themes, and to display by filtering posts down to those on specific topics. Furthermore, Bluesky’s “custom feed” enables users to set detailed criteria such as keywords in posts, posting period, number of likes, and images, enabling them to customize feed more freely in line with their own interests. In addition, customized feeds can be adopted by other users. Some feeds enable users to search for products using specific brand names as keyword criteria, and if these feeds gain attention, can serve as a connection between companies and consumers.

As seen above, while all these platforms are “text-based social media,” it is apparent that they each have different characteristics and user segments.

2. Trends observed in the three text-based social media platforms

Next, let’s take a look at the trends associated with the three text-based social media, X, Threads, and Bluesky. Fig.2 presents trends in the usage rates of these three text-based social media apps.

Fig.2

X has the highest usage rate. It is apparent X’s usage rate is still high even after the advent of other new text-based social media. Threads has the next highest usage rate, with a usage rate that has been on the rise since its release in July 2023. Bluesky had a lackluster usage rate at the time of its release, with it increasing slightly after the abolition of its invitation system in February 2024. However, its usage rate has not sizably increased since then, with the change in X’s block function specifications in October 2024 only sparking a slight increase, so it has remained flat since then. The background to this may be that while users can arrange it to be easy to use themselves utilizing its feed functions etc., that this is difficult to set up.

Next, Fig.3 presents trends in usage time per user. It is apparent that X has not been sizably impacted by the emergence of new social media. Bluesky has also remained at a virtually constant usage time, while the most recent usage rate of Threads (December 2024) is three times higher than when it was originally released. This indicates that Threads in particular has been on the increase in terms of usage rate and usage time respectively, and is increasingly penetrating people’s lives.

Fig.3

3. The rise of Threads/Bluesky and their impact on X

Let’s take this a step further, and examine whether people using Threads and Bluesky are departing from X. Fig.4 and 5 depict trends in X’s usage rate and usage length among Threads users (users exposed to Threads since the app was released in July 2023) and Bluesky users (users exposed to Bluesky since the app was released in February 2024).On zooming in on Threads and Bluesky users, it is clear that while their X usage time is on somewhat of a downward trend, their usage rate remains high at over 85%.

In addition, Threads users (at release) have an average X usage rate of 88％, and average X usage length of 42 minutes, while Bluesky’s users (at time of public release) have an average X usage rate of 96%, and average usage length of 67 minutes. Considering the total’s X usage rate in Fig.2 and 3 in the previous section is 54%, and its average usage length per day per usage is 30 minutes, Threads users and Bluesky users’ averages are clearly sizably higher than the total’s averages. Rather than Threads and Bluesky serving as alternatives to X, they both may be establishing their own positions and possess unique characteristics as social media platforms.

Fig.4

Fig.5

Furthermore, Threads users and Bluesky users can both be said to have high tandem use rates with X. Fig.6 depicts an image of the state of tandem use of X, Threads, and Bluesky.

Fig.6

Bluesky in particular has a high tandem use rate, and it is clear virtually all its users use it in tandem with X. There are even posts on Bluesky noting “I’ve come to take refuge from X!” due to the aggressive posts on X and the changes to its specifications. Note that the fact they use the expression “take refuge” rather than “move” or “switch over” suggests many users do not intend to completely switch over from X.

In addition, two reasons for the high ongoing tandem use rate with X are the people users can only connect with on X, and posts they can only see on the platform. Many people are likely staying with X in order to maintain relationships with people on X, or to view corporate and celebrity accounts.

Let’s take a look at the background to this high tandem use rate using the results from our “Fixed-point questionnaire survey on media usage” conducted once a year with i-SSP monitor participants. Fig.7 depicts the questionnaire survey’s results on X-related imagery/behavior divided into X users in total, X & Threads tandem users, and X & Bluesky tandem users.

Fig.7

42.4% of X & Bluesky tandem users responded “There is information only available on X”, as did 37.9% of X & Threads tandem users. This demonstrates that about 40% of users deem X to have information available on it that is irreplaceable by Threads or Bluesky. In addition, a higher proportion of the respective tandem users give responses such as “I refer to it when purchasing products and services,” ”I use it to obtain detailed information on products and services,” and “I communicate/post (including uploading photos)” than X users in total, suggesting that tandem users use X more actively.

Next, Fig.8 presents the results of the questionnaire survey on types of accounts followed on X divided into X users in total, X & Threads tandem users, and X & Bluesky tandem users. A marked characteristic here was the percentage of users who follow official accounts of companies, brands, and stores on X. 47.3% of X & Threads tandem users and 53.1% of X & Bluesky tandem users, that is, approximately half, follow these accounts. Another characteristic of X & Threads tandem users is the high proportion who follow “Celebrities/Famous people.” Users who want to view famous people’s accounts and official accounts such as those of companies and brands only available on X probably find Threads and Bluesky unable to replace X for these needs.

Fig.8

As seen above, it is clear that many Threads and Bluesky users use these apps in tandem without departing from X. Many are thus deemed to be staying with X due to the corporate and famous people’s accounts only available on X. It will be interesting to see how future movement by companies and famous people may impact the state of use of these social media platforms going forward.

4. The respective positions each text-based social media platform is building

On analyzing the state of use of the three text-based social media services, their respective characteristics become apparent, and it is clear that users will not depart from X even after the arrival of new social media platforms. While the three text-based social media appear the same at first glance, they each have their own positions, and offer users different value leveraging their respective characteristics.

First, X boasts the overwhelmingly highest usage rate. Even with the appearance of new social media platforms, they have not lost users. They have a large number of users, official accounts and famous people, so may be evaluated as a service that makes it easy to gather and disseminate information on. While it has received some negative comments on the changes to its specifications, many users appear to endorse its convenience.

Next is Threads, which is experiencing increased usage. Users can post a larger number of characters on it, enabling them to share stories about their day and thoughts in detail. It gives the impression one can hear the gossip around one, with lots of stories about people’s families etc. often appearing. Threads enables users to not only post text, but a larger number of images as well, so enables users to fully share what they want to convey/include the photos they want to put up. And as its name in plural in English suggests, it comes across as a loose intertwining of a variety of topics and people.

And we also have Bluesky, known as “peaceful and subdued.” It comes across as mostly having positive replies to posts. In addition, it differs as of 2025 in that unlike X and Threads, no ads are displayed on it. In our information society, people may be looking for a place to take a break and to have some freedom with a moderate sense of distance away from other things. Bluesky doesn’t have as many users as X or Threads, so may be why it is an environment where people can casually tweet with peace of mind.

While social media has its fun aspects, there is also plenty of news on slander, shady part-time jobs, and fraud connected to it at present. Users may start seeking “safety” from it including on a psychological level. On social media, content is sometimes exaggerated or made to look good in order to get a reaction, which can lead to misunderstandings, or evoke attacks. There are now expressions like being “burned out from social media” and being “worn out by digital exposure.” This is precisely why people may prefer places they can use naturally with peace of mind.

Social media platforms are sometimes said to have their own “worldviews.” If Threads is a world that connects people through plentiful text and images, Bluesky may be a world where everyone is kindly accepted, where one can spend some peaceful time with peace of mind. In future, when manufacturers etc. create accounts and take the leap into these worlds, they will need a sufficient understanding of and to act in accordance with these “worldviews” and the atmosphere of the people who inhabit these platforms.

In addition, while Threads’ and Bluesky’s usage rates are not as high as X’s, as their user numbers increase in future, their user segments and atmospheres may change. I would like to continue to monitor the evolution of social media and changes in how people connect in future, and observe what kind of a world will go on to be created.

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