Skylight’s TikTok alternative adds community curators to the mix

Summary

A startup called Skylight is taking a different approach to short-form video. Instead of restricting users to an algorithmic main feed, as is common on social apps, Skylight is building a community around human curators who post and repost videos to build out their own custom feeds others can subscribe to. The option, which launched on Monday in the version 2.0 release of the app, could appeal to users who feel a growing sense of unease about traditional social media platforms and their algorithmic manipulations, as well as those annoyed by the increase of low-quality AI-generated content that’s now filling those feeds. Built on Bluesky’s social network and its underlying AT Protocol, Skylight first launched in April to offer an open alternative to video apps like TikTok. Since then, the app has seen roughly 240,000 downloads and 100,000 videos uploaded to its platform. Skylight also received early funding from Mark Cuban and others. Like others in this space, Skylight’s ability to authenticate users with their Bluesky credentials gives it a head start on building its own user base. Today, Bluesky is used by over 38.4 million users, who can install, run, and log into an ecosystem of open social apps like Skylight and others built for videos, photos, blogs, wikis, and more. Image Credits:Skylight With Skylight’s 2.0 launch, the company is focusing on improved curation. Users can now create their own “curator” feed by posting and reposting videos or by using third-party tools to build their own custom feed. Soon, the company will integrate technology from the custom feed-building platform Graze to allow Skylight users to create those custom feeds inside its own app, as well. To access the curated feeds, you simply swipe left from the main page to browse through the other selections. If you find a curator you want to follow, you tap the plus (+) button to add them to your set of feeds. Those curators you already follow will be included in this experience. Image Credits...