Bluesky & X: Left Influencers’ Usage – Pew Research
Left-leaning news influencers are flocking to Bluesky, according to a new study examining their social media habits post-2024 election. Our findings reveal a significant uptick in Bluesky adoption among liberal and Democratic influencers, with nearly 70% establishing a presence on the platform, a trend which shows the ongoing shift of social media usage. While most influencers maintain accounts on X, Bluesky’s popularity is rising, marking a potential diversification in their online strategies. The data, compiled for News Directory 3, analyzed the behavior of over 500 prominent news influencers, tracking their engagement across platforms. Despite growing activity on Bluesky, X remains a key platform.Explore the evolving social media landscape and see the subtle differences in engagement trends and how influencers adapt.Discover what’s next for these influencers.
Left-Leaning News Influencers increase Role on Bluesky
A recent analysis indicates that many left-leaning social media influencers are joining Bluesky. The study quantifies the shift of news influencers, examining their presence and activity on the platform.
The analysis updates a November 2024 report that did not include Bluesky. the initial report focused on 500 influencers wiht over 100,000 followers on major platforms, who regularly post about current events. the new data examines the same influencers to determine their adoption of Bluesky.
The study found that 43% of these influencers had a bluesky account as of February and March.Over half, 51%, created their accounts after the 2024 presidential election. A notable political divide exists: 69% of left-leaning accounts—those explicitly identifying as liberals or Democrats and supporting Kamala Harris or Joe Biden before the election—have joined Bluesky. Only 15% of conservative influencers made the same move.
Despite this shift, most influencers have not abandoned X. While Elon Musk’s association with President Donald Trump appeared to encourage users to explore Bluesky, 82% of the influencers tracked still maintain an account on X, a slight decrease from 85% in the summer of 2025.
Even with increased Bluesky activity, 87% of left-leaning influencers continue to use X. Influencers also generally post more frequently on X than on Bluesky. However, Bluesky engagement is growing.The percentage of influencers actively posting on Bluesky increased from 54% in early January to 66% by the end of March.
What’s next
The trend suggests a potential diversification of social media presence among news influencers, with Bluesky emerging as a platform of interest, particularly for those on the left. The long-term impact on the social media landscape remains to be seen.