Bluesky's Quest to Build Nontoxic Social Media

Shared Blocklists and Moderation

• A major focus is Bluesky’s shared blocklists: some see them as tools to avoid harassment (especially for women), others as mechanisms for enforcing ideological conformity and “groupthink.”
• Critics argue that being added to a shared blocklist can mean thousands block thousands more “because one person got offended,” often without direct interaction or evidence.
• Defenders respond that many different lists exist and adoption isn’t necessarily “blind”; they see it as an alternative to opaque, centralized platform moderation.
• Historical precedents (e.g., LiveJournal) are mentioned, with mixed implications for long-term relevance.

Echo Chambers, Communities, and “Nontoxicity”

• Several commenters equate echo chambers with normal human social behavior (“having friends”), arguing that pre‑web life was mostly like that.
• Others say echo chambers normalize toxicity by constantly reinforcing one side’s view as “normal” and righteous.
• There’s tension between “non‑toxic” as “filtered, like‑minded community” vs. “non‑toxic” as “place where disagreement is possible without abuse.”
• Some argue truly non‑toxic social media is impossible; at best you keep politics out or keep the audience small. Others counter that you can’t really ban politics without being political about what counts as “political.”

Algorithms, AI, and Product Design

• Engagement‑maximizing recommendation algorithms (especially on X/Twitter) are widely blamed for toxicity; they reward outrage and pile‑ons.
• Bluesky is praised for multiple feeds, including chronological ones, and allowing user‑built algorithms and filters (e.g., hide violence, US politics, Twitter screenshots).
• Some want AI that nudges users away from posting inflammatory content or lets others filter it; others note platforms have monetary incentives to keep “blowhards” for engagement.

Political Tilt and Comparative Toxicity

• Many describe Bluesky as a left‑leaning mirror of X’s right‑leaning environment: both are seen as echo chambers that mainly dunk on “the other side.”
• Experiences diverge: some report mass‑blocking, death threats, and aggressive policing of non‑progressive views; others see Bluesky as far less abusive than X, with effective blocking and better hobby communities.
• Several users say they mostly avoid toxicity on any platform by carefully curating follows, muting keywords, and focusing on niche interests.

Scale, Human Nature, and Alternatives

• A recurring claim is that toxicity stems more from human nature and culture wars than from any specific platform.
• Small, topic‑focused communities (HN, niche subreddits, Mastodon/Lemmy instances, private Discords) are held up as the most reliably “non‑toxic,” largely because they are both small and somewhat echo‑chambered.