Facebook (Meta), Twitter, and other legacy social media platforms were once powerhouses of Free Speech. Opinions from various sources and perspectives made the platforms lively, engaging, exciting, and for many, profitable. Many were made millionaires and billionaires during the ascension of social media into our lives. Yet, today, those who built these platforms seem intent on destroying them by limiting the Free Speech that made them great in the first place.
The ban on Donald Trump was a big step in the slide, but far from the only reason why Meta and Facebook are failing. Meta lost nearly half a million users in the last three months of 2021, contributing to a significant crash of its stock price. As Twitter reported its earnings in early February, its stock price also significantly fell due to lackluster user growth and engagement. It will not be long before the exodus from the platforms gains more momentum and users flock to something new.
There is obvious user fatigue in the traditional social media companies. It comes as a direct result of its censorship and bias. Appetite is strong for a legitimate social media platform that will truly allow Free Speech. With so much censorship and bias in the legacy companies, it has become little more than an echo chamber for the radical left. This is surely why former President Trump is launching Truth Social.
It is entirely fitting that on President’s Day the new social media application was made partially available to some users. There is so much happening in the world where a robust marketplace of ideas is required to solve problems. Inflation, mask mandates, supply chain issues, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more present opportunities for a robust debate. By limiting the discussion, we all lose.
The demand for Truth Social is strong. The application had the most downloads of any app, spending multiple consecutive days at number one in the app store. There is a waiting list for those once they register. The barrage of interest has made it difficult for the Truth Social to keep up – but some are getting in early, and more are getting admitted.
The strong excitement and remarkable patience people are exhibiting has less to do with Donald Trump’s involvement, and everything to do with a forum where Free Speech can thrive. No one should have the power to limit Free Speech – not the government, not the media, and certainly not social media platforms that enjoy protections (Section 230) against getting sued.
We all should enjoy the same opportunities to advocate for a position or share a message and seek to influence opinions or support candidates for office. Unfortunately, just like so many in the traditional media, social media executives decided to limit so many activists, or worse, like in the case of former President Trump, eliminate the possibility to share information, opinions, or perspectives.
It is easy to see the opening for a successful business opportunity here. It looks like now, with the launch of Truth Social, President Trump will have a new platform to share his voice and the voices of those who disagree with him – and surely make a profit doing so.
As Truth Social gains more members and users, we are likely to hear less about it than we do now. The anticipation is obvious, and the downloads and wait list cannot be ignored. The less we hear, however, the more likely the app will be successful – and once it is, everyone, regardless of political leanings, will enjoy a much more diverse political dialogue, robust debate, and solutions to benefit all Americans. It will surely be a victory for conservatives and liberals, and more importantly, the First Amendment.
Truth Social will not be the direct cause of the end of the legacy social media companies, they destroyed themselves long ago. Now that there is an alternative emerging, their decline will be accelerated.
Trump and his Truth Social team understand that embracing woke culture at the expense of Free Speech ultimately fails. They know that many open-minded individuals are hungry for a fair platform that welcomes all ideas and ignores the cancel culture. When information from multiple perspectives is shared, better ideas and action result – and it is more exciting, too. Hopefully, that is exactly what Truth Social will become.
Shaun McCutcheon, a Free Speech advocate, is an Alabama-based electrical engineer and inventor. He was the successful plaintiff in the 2014 Supreme Court case McCutcheon v. FEC.
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