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.
