Mayor Adams’ office ordered all city government agencies Thursday to set up accounts on BlueSky, a social media platform that has seen a marked uptick in new users since President-elect Donald Trump’s election.
BlueSky’s growth comes amid an exodus from X, formerly known as Twitter, amid concerns over far-right rhetoric and misinformation being amplified on that platform under billionaire Elon Musk’s ownership. Among those who have left X in recent days are The Guardian newspaper, Don Lemon and Jamie Lee Curtis.
But Adams’ office didn’t make any reference to there being a political reason behind Thursday’s move, and the city isn’t walking away from X at this time.
The main purpose of the move for now is to “limit the amount of parody/misinformation” that could arise from people setting up spoof BlueSky accounts in the names of city agencies, Adams’ office wrote in a government-wide email, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily News. Adams’ office said in the message that agencies should set up their BlueSky accounts “as soon as possible,” but not start posting on them yet.
“We’re working out some logistical questions … before we begin using the platform,” read the email.
“We’ll be back with more information,” the message added. “We’re figuring it out in real time.”
A city government social media staffer, who spoke on condition his name and agency not be identified, said Thursday’s announcement came after a number of municipal employees had complained internally about staying on X in the wake of Trump’s election.
Liz Garcia, a spokeswoman for Adams, confirmed late Thursday that several agencies have recently expressed interest to the mayor’s office about using BlueSky, prompting the new directive.
She said the mayor’s office hasn’t received any formal complaints from municipal employees concerned about staying on X, though, and that there are no plans for the city government to abandon that platform altogether. Garcia also said agencies are expected to continue posting on X alongside launching BlueSky accounts that they can “potentially utilize” to reach “New Yorkers like we do on other social media apps.”
The day after Trump’s Nov. 5 election, more than 115,000 X users in the U.S. deactivated their accounts, the steepest one-day drop since Musk, a major Trump donor and surrogate, bought the platform in 2022.
At the same time, BlueSky announced Tuesday it has welcomed more than 1 million new users since Trump’s election.
The wave of X departures comes as Musk is expected to join Trump’s administration as co-chair of a new federal entity called the Department of Government Efficiency.
Adams, a conservative Democrat who’s often at odds with members of his own party, praised Trump’s appointment of Musk on Wednesday.
“One of the people I think it was important to bring on board, some people may argue, is Elon Musk,” he said on PIX11. “We’re dealing with an antiquated government filled with bureaucracy, unwilling to make any changes.”
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