X rolls out ‘Starterpacks’ to help in finding like-minded accounts inspired by rival BlueSky

Social media platform X

• X to launch 'Starterpacks' to help users find accounts matching their interests
• Starterpacks are curated by X, unlike Bluesky's user-created packs
• Feature will roll out to all X users in the coming weeks

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Elon Musk-owned social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) is preparing to launch a new onboarding feature called “Starterpacks,” designed to help users discover accounts that match their interests. The concept looks remarkably similar to Bluesky’s widely praised “Starter Packs”, and its announcement was made by Nikita Bier, head of product at X. The executive has also confirmed that the tool will go live in a few weeks.

X announces ‘Starterpacks’: Here’s how it works

The main aim of this new "Starterpacks" feature is to help X users discover accounts that match their interests. The categories covered under this tool include News, Politics, Fashion, Technology, Business and Finance, Health and Fitness, Gaming, Stocks, and Memes.

However, unlike Bluesky's approach, where anyone could create and share packs on the platform, the ‘Starterpacks’ on X are only created by the platform internally.

As Bier explains in his post on X, the company “scoured the world for the top posters in every niche and country” over the past few months to compile its lists. This suggests that these curated packs are based on X's internal survey and data rather than recommendations from individual users or their personal recommendations. It also aims to make navigating X a little easier for those who might feel lost in their feed to find suitable content.

Although X already has a suggested (For You) section to find tweets based on the accounts they follow and their interests, it has received criticism recently, owing to suggestions being recommended based on users’ popularity and follower count. However, with ‘Starterpacks,’ the company clearly hopes that these curated lists will make user onboarding smoother and encourage new sign-ups so that X users can stay engaged on the platform. Whether users will embrace these curated lists or dismiss them remains to be seen, but the feature is set to be rolled out to all X users in the coming weeks.