Bluesky experiments with dislikes and 'social proximity' to improve conversations

Bluesky Tries to Nudge Users Towards 'Relevant' Conversations by Experimenting with Dislikes and Social Proximity

Social media platform Bluesky is testing a new feature that lets users express their dislike for certain posts, which the company believes will help improve conversations on its platform. The experiment, part of several other initiatives aimed at enhancing user interactions, focuses on "social proximity" – mapping users' relationships within their social network to prioritize relevant and engaging content.

By signaling dislikes, Bluesky aims to refine its algorithms to show more like-minded posts in users' feeds, while reducing the appearance of irrelevant or unwanted content. The company hopes this will make conversations feel more familiar and less prone to misunderstandings.

However, critics are wary that such a system could inadvertently entrench users within their existing social circles, rather than encouraging broader discussions and debates. This raises concerns about the platform's ability to effectively moderate content and address issues of hate speech or harassment.

Bluesky is also experimenting with adjusting reply rankings and adding more context to conversations, with the goal of reducing "bad replies" and creating a more positive online environment. The beta test of the dislike feature will help the company better understand user preferences and refine its approach to social interactions.

The platform's move has sparked debate about the role of algorithms in shaping our online experiences and the potential impact on user engagement and community moderation. As Bluesky continues to iterate on its features, users are left wondering whether these changes will ultimately enhance or undermine their online interactions.

I'm low-key both excited and skeptical about this new feature from Bluesky ... I mean, who doesn't love the idea of having more relevant conversations? But at the same time, I worry that it's just gonna make us all echo chambers We've seen this kind of thing before on other platforms, where algorithms prioritize our existing interests and hobbies over, like, actual meaningful discussions

And don't even get me started on the potential for "social proximity" to create more bubbles I mean, isn't the point of social media to connect with people outside our usual circles? It's all about expanding your horizons and meeting new people... or at least that's what it should be

Still, I gotta give Bluesky credit for trying to tackle some of the bigger issues on these platforms Like, reducing bad replies is a great goal – we could all use less hate speech online But we need to make sure this doesn't just enable more targeted harassment or whatever... that's a whole 'nother can of worms

im loving this new feature from bluesky , i mean who doesn't want to see more of what they like in their feed? it's all about making conversations feel more comfy and less awkward, right? and yeah i get where the critics are coming from, but i think this is a step in the right direction. we should be able to signal that we don't care about some posts without having to unfollow or mute them. plus, it's not like they're taking away our freedom of speech, just helping us navigate the noise

I'm not sure about this new feature on Bluesky ... I mean, it sounds like a good idea to show more like-minded posts, but isn't that just gonna make me see the same old stuff from my friends and family? And what if I don't want to see any of their posts at all?! Can't we just have some diversity in our feeds for once? It's also weird that they're trying to figure out how to "nudge" us towards more relevant conversations... doesn't that sound a bit like trying to control what we say and do online?

I'm not sure if I like this new feature on Bluesky ... it sounds like they're trying to control what we see and say online too much. Don't get me wrong, less noise is always a good thing, but what about when we want to engage with people who aren't in our social circle? Are we just going to be stuck in these "relevant" conversations that are so familiar, it's like talking to ourselves? And what happens if the algorithms make a mistake and show us content that's not actually engaging or interesting? Are we just going to get fed more of the same old thing? I'm not sure this is going to help with community moderation either... how are they supposed to keep an eye on all these "bad replies" when they're so busy trying to filter out what we like?

I don’t usually comment but I think this new feature from Bluesky is kinda interesting . It's like they're trying to make conversations more comfy and less annoying, which sounds nice in theory, right? But at the same time, it feels like they're just gonna push us even further into our own little bubbles on the internet. Like, won't we just end up having way less of those "awkward" conversations that actually help us learn new things or meet people with different perspectives?

I'm low-key concerned about this new feature ... It sounds like they're trying to nudge us towards having more 'similar' conversations, but what if that just means we're stuck in our own little echo chambers? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's cool that they're trying to make conversations feel more familiar and less misunderstood, but isn't the point of social media supposed to be about meeting new people and having different perspectives?

And what about the risk of entrenching us in our existing online communities, rather than encouraging us to branch out and engage with folks we don't already know? That's gotta be a concern for me... We need social media platforms that help us build bridges, not just reinforce the status quo.

I'm all for a more 'relevant' conversation, but like, do we really want to be told what's 'relevant'? It feels like they're just gonna start filtering out anything that doesn't fit the crowd, and before you know it, we'll have a platform where everyone's talking about their cat's favorite food . And don't even get me started on the whole social proximity thing - who gets to decide what 'familiar' means for each user? It's like they're trying to create this perfect little bubble around our online interactions, but I'm pretty sure that's just gonna lead to a bunch of echo chambers and missed connections .