Talk, Newsmax, Rumble: Trump Worshipers Turn to ‘Alternative’ Platforms

WASHINGTON – Convinced that Donald Trump’s election was stolen and angered by the moderation of the Republican President’s posts on Twitter and Facebook, The conservative right in the United States has been migrating en masse for several days to so-called “alternative” platforms..

The main beneficiary of this phenomenon is the social network Talk, whose application It has been downloaded over 3 million times from Apple and Google online stores since the election, and has been installed 7.3 million times since its launch., according to the specialist website SensorTower.

The far-right television channel Newsmax – hailed by Trump – and social networks like MeWe or Rumble, have also benefited from this migration.

None of these platforms filter content considered to be misleading or false, and users there claim, without evidence, that there was massive electoral fraud in many key states to disadvantage the president, who failed to secure a second term in the November 3 election.

These networks are no longer exclusive to extremist fringes, but also attract more traditional conservative voices, frustrated by the big platforms, explains Bret Schafer, specialist in disinformation at the NGO Alliance for Securing Democracy.

“This is not the first time that migration has been observed when the giants of social networks take more severe measures”, specifies the expert, stressing that “this time, however, it seems a little different”.

Some Republican lawmakers have opened accounts with Speak, as has Trump’s campaign team, which now issues press releases on the app.

Clear dynamics

“We still don’t know if this is a symbolic protest against Twitter and Facebook or if (the strategy) will be more serious and lasting”says Daniel Kreiss, professor at the Center for Information Technology at the University of North Carolina.

“But the dynamic is clear: Conservatives are angry with moderation of content, especially that of the president,” he said.

Politics let it be The fact that mainstream social media has been going on for years makes many conservative voices question why Facebook and Twitter suddenly changed their minds, Kreiss says.

As a result, Parler was propelled to the top of the list of most downloaded apps on Apple’s online store.

“Many people who have Talking accounts are no longer happy with Facebook and Twitter due to ‘Big Tech’ censorship and media dishonesty.” one user of the app wrote in the comments section of the App Store.

“Talking is still young, but he will embrace more and more conservatives,” he predicted.

By becoming central spaces for political debate, Twitter and Facebook have great difficulty balancing moderation of manipulative and potentially harmful content with freedom of expression of diverse and varied opinions.

For some civil society leaders, the lack of guarantees in places like Parler – where racist and anti-Semitic messages or death threats can be freely disseminated – is problematic.

“Giants like Apple and Google have a real responsibility and should ask themselves what they let happen by hosting an application like Parler in their online stores,” said Eric Naing, communications manager of the Muslim organization. Advocates.

Limited impact

By Daniel Kreiss, the growing popularity of ‘alternative’ networks, both left and right, is a sign of extreme polarization on the Internet, which “is not good for civic discourse”.

This division threatens the ability to have meaningful conversations on matters of public interest., which are necessary for the proper functioning of a democracy. “Insofar as the opposing camp, whatever it is, is demonized, it becomes more difficult to consider the result of the elections as legitimate”, estimates the academic.

However, the impact of these networks remains limited, according to several specialists, who stress that the main platforms maintain their hegemony online.

Facebook and Twitter have much more advanced technologies than sites like Parler, whose app appears to have multiple problems, based on comments from some frustrated users.

Additionally, while many Conservative officials have joined Talk, the vast majority continue to use Twitter. “They have to go where the general public is,” Kreiss says.

Agencia AFP