Trump searches for a new social network after his Twitter ban, as a source says the president will spend the final days of his term railing against Big Tech
I heard the news last week that Twitter had permanently banned Trump and thought “oh my.” New York Post : Big Tech's assault on Parler proves it's gone full cartel Tweets: Brian Bergstein / @brianbergstein : This weekend in @GlobeIdeas, @dgolumbia says Trump's Twitter ban is just the beginning of what's necessary to reimagine the Internet as something that truly enhances democratic values rather than an absolutist view of “free speech.” https://www.bostonglobe.com/ ... @mattyglesias : That's what you would expect from a business. Hotels all have “policies” but obviously when the White House calls up to make travel arrangements for the president, they do something different than what's in the policies. Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers : “Facebook and Twitter Suspend Trump, Parler Suspended Everywhere, Context and Culture” - great analysis here via @benthompson https://stratechery.com/... @mattyglesias : This criticism of Twitter from @benthompson I think is right — it's foolish to pretend they're following “rules” when obviously (and correctly!) the CEO is making individualized judgments about the President of the United States. https://stratechery.com/... https://twitter.com/... Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald : The ACLU in NYT on why the union of Silicon Valley monopolies — Apple, Google and Amazon — to remove Parler from the internet is so problematic. While ACLU is largely just a liberal pressure group now, they still have some real civil liberties lawyers: https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/... Jack Nicas / @jacknicas : Parler was the nation's hottest app. Then the tech giants pulled their support. Now it's fighting for its life. Here's the full tale on how Parler became the new test case for free speech online. with @daveyalba: https://www.nytimes.com/... Hank Green / @hankgreen : It is a little worrying to not know how unhinged he is right now. Charlie / @abstrusination : @TonyRomm @jdawsey1 Why does the Trump guy need ‘social’ media? He'd got a room especially set up to do pressers. He could even answer questions if he wanted to. I'm pretty sure every tv channel would put him on also. He could always try RT. Juliet Eilperin / @eilperin : Amazon has suspended the right-leaning social media platform Parler from its Web-hosting service, “ a move that threatens to darken the site indefinitely,” write @TonyRomm and @rachelerman https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Perez Hilton / @perezhilton : Contrary to what GOP politicians disingenuously claim, this is NOT “censorship” or a “free speech” issue. This is the free market at work! This is a private business deciding how it wants to do business! There's no constitutional right to a Parler account! https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Rashad Robinson / @rashadrobinson : Twitter banned Trump way too late, but it is still incredibly significant that we will move forward without him having a direct line to spread disinformation, incite the public and reach an audience any time that he wants to. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Gene J / @genej101 : The only question I have about this is why did it take so long? I have zero empathy for hate groups, people who actively want to harm those who do not look like them or think like them to demand a platform. Build your own server farm, say what you like. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Steve Hou / @stevehouf : This is a very good interview of @lloydblankfein, whose many observations herein I agree with. I particularly agree his suggestion of a mandatory “national service”. I think that's a very good thing. Have young people or HS graduates work in communities, national parks etc. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... Alicia Wanless / @lageneralista : At the @IOpartnership we have also been cataloguing policy proposals and initiatives researching and countering influence operations - more to follow: https://carnegieendowment.org/ ... https://twitter.com/... @rob_airone : @JoeBiden • Concerns about a possible, secondary attack on the U.S. Capitol and state government facilities, the weekend of January 16-17, appear to be well founded • https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Lauren Naturale / @lnaturale : Everyone should probably read this. https://www.bostonglobe.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... Roger Tansey / @rogertansey : So spreading lies, fomenting violence, and espousing racism finally has consequences. “Amazon delivered the biggest blow, saying it would stop offering its hosting services to Parler, a move that threatens to darken the conservative site indefinitely.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Eric Wolfson / @ericwolfson : But no one heard it because he was banned from Twitter. “On Friday, Trump threatened to decamp to a new social networking serving almost immediately after Twitter banned him, vowing he would ‘not be SILENCED!!’—& promising a ‘big announcement soon.’” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Kristina Keneally / @kkeneally : Amazon Web Services suspends Parler. @ScottMorrisonMP Govt should use its customer power to make clear that it will not use internet hosting/cloud providers that host services like Parler that allow people to incite violence & plan terrorist attacks. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @cornish_damo : Conservative? Parler is an absolute sewer. Free speech comes with responsibility too and the lack of moderation, of incitement of violence and hate speech there shouldn't ever get a platform. https://twitter.com/... Evan Kohlmann / @inteltweet : Gab is arguably even a worse and less reliable online social media platform than Parler, so it remains to be seen whether that wilting band-aid alone can really fill the communications gap. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @jeremysliew : True in business, in politics and in life: “Character really counts. The character thing in the long run always came out at the worst possible time.” - @lloydblankfein, former CEO of @GoldmanSachs https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/... See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
The related coverage had already framed a move away from major platforms as a retreat into more insular conservative communities. The simultaneous removal of Parler from app-store and hosting services made clear that an alternative network also depended on infrastructure controlled by Apple, Google, and Amazon.
Later coverage supplies the arc: Trump's post-ban reach fell despite occasional amplification, while the eventual Trump Media & Technology Group and TRUTH Social launch plan turned the search for an outlet into an owned-platform strategy.
First-order effects
- Twitter's permanent ban, alongside Facebook's suspension, removes Donald Trump's access to the large mainstream distribution channels that had carried his posts.
- Parler loses a potential opening to absorb displaced users when Apple, Google, and Amazon withdraw app-store or hosting support, constraining a key alternative platform at the same moment.
Second-order effects
- A shift into conservative-focused services fragments Trump's audience from mainstream social feeds; the subsequent post-ban engagement analysis found a significant overall decline even though amplification preserved reach for some posts.
- Apple, Google, and Amazon become consequential gatekeepers for would-be alternatives because a social network needs both user distribution and underlying hosting to operate.
Third-order effects
- The move toward TRUTH Social as an owned social network points to political-media brands building proprietary channels when large platforms enforce account rules, rather than relying solely on third-party social distribution.
- If platform enforcement and infrastructure withdrawal continue to align, viable challenger networks will be shaped as much by their access to app stores and cloud services as by their ability to attract users.
The trend: Political figures facing major-platform enforcement are moving toward owned or ideologically aligned networks, while the app-store and cloud layers determine how independent those alternatives can be.