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Trump Supporters Flock to ‘Free Speech’ Platforms After Facebook Ban
Parler, MeWe, and Rumble are attracting users who feel spurned by Facebook and Twitter
Trump supporters are flocking to a trinity of alternative social platforms — Parler, MeWe, and Rumble — to protest the presidential election results, following Joe Biden’s victory this weekend, and the banning of a massive “Stop the Steal” Facebook group last week. As major platforms enforce policies around misinformation and election meddling, smaller so-called free speech sites are experiencing a renewed interest from conservatives who feel targeted by Facebook and Twitter’s moderation efforts.
The most popular of these sites is Parler (pronounced “par-lay”), which functions similarly to Twitter and is currently the top free download on the App Store and Google Play. Former members of the largest “Stop the Steal” Facebook group — which had more than 300,000 members when it was removed from the platform for delegitimizing election processes and potentially inciting physical violence — have publicly encouraged their peers to migrate to Parler.
“I’m moving to Parler and suggest you all do too,” wrote one member of the group.
On Parler, an account named “Stop the Steal,” created on Thursday, has since amassed more than 100,000 followers.
“Try to get as many as you can to join us here,” this group’s owner wrote on their newly created Parler account. “We are using Facebook as a platform to bring the crowd.”
“TAKE THIS MOVEMENT TO PARLER‼️” wrote one member of a Houston-based “Stop the Steal” Facebook group. “And tell everyone you know to join! It’s a free speech platform that will hopefully rival Fakebook eventually!”
On Parler, an account created on Thursday called “Stop the Steal” has amassed more than 100,000 followers and frequently posts false information about the election…
