X is set to launch "Starterpacks," a new feature designed to help users discover accounts to follow, drawing clear inspiration from Bluesky's popular "Starter Packs." The announcement was made by X's head of product, Nikita Bier, who confirmed the Elon Musk-owned social network will roll out its version in the coming weeks.
Bluesky's "Starter Packs" have gained significant traction by offering curated lists of suggested users, proving to be an effective method for people to connect with others on the platform. X's adoption of a similar concept underscores the growing importance of user discovery tools in the competitive social media landscape.
How X's Starterpacks Work
The core idea behind X's new feature is to simplify the process of finding accounts that align with users' interests. These Starterpacks will cover a broad spectrum of categories, including News, Politics, Fashion, Technology, Business & Finance, Health & Fitness, Gaming, Stocks, Memes, and more.
However, there's a notable distinction between X's and Bluesky's implementations. While Bluesky allows any user to create and share their own Starter Packs, X has opted for an internally curated approach. As Bier explained in his post on X, the company has spent several months "scouring the world for the top posters in every niche and country" to compile its lists. This means X's Starterpacks are based on the platform's internal data and editorial choices, rather than individual user recommendations.
A History of Suggested Users
The concept of suggested user lists is not entirely new to X, which operated as Twitter for many years. In its early days, Twitter offered "Suggested Users Lists" to help new users find interesting accounts, reflecting its focus on interest-based connections rather than just connecting with existing friends. While these lists were initially editorially created and sometimes controversial for boosting certain users' popularity, Twitter later shifted to an algorithm-driven system in 2010.
Industry-Wide Trend
X is not alone in recognizing the value of Bluesky's innovative Starter Packs. Other major social platforms are also exploring similar features. Meta's Threads began testing its own version of curated user lists in December 2024. These collections, also user-curated, are shown to new Threads users and within the "For You" feed. Additionally, the decentralized social network Mastodon has been developing its own "Packs" to enhance user onboarding, further solidifying this trend across the social media landscape.
