Social media shift among Trump supporters

Social media shift among Trump supporters

As the nation awaits the house vote on impeachment, there’s a social media shift happening among Trump supporters who are turning to alternative platforms. This is following Facebook announcing it's removing “stop the steal” content, because the phrase was used by those who participated in last week's riots at the US Capitol.

TO CHARGE THE PRESIDENT WITH ONECOUNT OF INCITINGINSURRECTION.FACEBOOK’S DECISION TO TAKE DOW"STOP THE STEAL" CONTENT AFTERTHE RIOTS AT THE CAPITOL, HASMANY PEOPLE NOW SWITCHING TOOTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMSLIKE "GAB."OUR JESSICA ALPERN IS TALKINGWITH TRUMP SUPPORTORS WHO SAYTHEY’RE BEING CENSORED, ALONGWITH A PROFESSOR AT F-G-C-U...WHO’S WEIGHING IN ON TCONSEQUENCES OF THIS SOCIALMEDIA SHIFT.HE SAYS THAT WHEN CONTENT LITHIS IS DELETED ON MAINSTREAMPLATFORMS, YOU’LL SEE ONE OF TWOTHINGS HAPPEN.SOME WHO ARE CASUAL CONSUMERSWILL SIMPLY SEE THE CONTENT DROPOFF FROM THEIR FEED, AND DONOTHING ABOUT IT.HE SAYS THE DANGER IS WITH THOSEWHO ARE ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TOSTOP-THE-STEAL IDEOLOGY, WHITENATIONALISM AND CONSPIRACYTHEORIES THEN HUNKERING DOWN INCLOSE KNIT GROUPS ON THESEALTERNATIVE PLATFORMS....AND THECONTENT THAT IS SHARED THERE.Dr. Landon Frim, AssistantProfessor of Philosophy at FGCU...A lot of the commentary thatyou get in the media is thatwhat’s dangerous is people arebeing separated into their ownideological camps and peoplearen’t talking to one another,and all of that’s true.

But thatkind of formalistic analysisignores the actual specificcontent of what’s going on whichis that these groups tend to beracist, white nationalist, oftenvery misogynistic against women.And it’s not their confirmationbias or their self-segregationthat’s the problem.

It’s theirbeliefs that are the problem.And white nationalism and racismare the things that have toopposed, rather than the sort ofspecific technical ways in whichpeople talk to one another.A LOCAL CONSERVATIVE ADVOCATEWHO WE SPOKE WITH LAST WEEK ANDWHO ADMITTED HE WAS AMONG THOSEWHO TRESPASSED INTO THECAPITOL...SAYS HE AGREES THE CAPITOL..TRESPASSED INTO THOSE WHO WASAMONG WHO ADMITTED HE LAST WEEKAND WE SPOKE WITH ADVOCATE WHOCONSERVATIVE ADVOCATE WHOSPOKE WITH LAST WEEK AND WHOADMITTED HE WAS AMONG THOSE WHOTRESPASSED INTO THE CAPITOL...SAYS HE AGREES CONTENT THAT’S*DELIBERATELY INCITING VIOLENCESHOULD BE REMOVED.BUT HE’S WORRIED TRUMPSUPPORTERS ARE BEING CENSORED."It’s 100% censorship.

Again,Facebook and Twitter has theirright to do it as their owncompany.

It sucks that theservice they provide is speechbut they lie to us and say it’sfree speech.FACEBOOK’S DECISION TO REMOVESTOP-THE-STEAL CONTENT COMESAFTER MOUNTING CRITICISM OVEWHETHER THEY COULD HAVE DONEMORE AND COULD HAVE