Donald Trump’s social network, Truth Social, gained popularity after Elon Musk bought Twitter.
On Monday, Truth Social topped the ranking of the most downloaded free apps on the App Store in the United States. Twitter also moved up the rankings, but was in second place on Tuesday.
Many are struggling to explain this sudden resurgence in popularity, while the social network of the former American president had had an inconclusive launch. On Twitter, some even announced the death of Truth Social on Monday, believing that the purchase of Elon Musk meant the return of Trump to the blue bird network, from which he had been banned after the assault on the Capitol on 6 January 2021.
The latter, however, told Fox News on Monday that he would not return, preferring to use his own network. “I’m not going to go on Twitter, I’m going to stay on Truth”, even though Elon Musk is “a good guy”, he said, criticizing the “bots and fake accounts” present on Twitter.
The recent owner has not yet spoken on this subject, but has repeatedly proclaimed that he wants to guarantee freedom of expression on the platform. “I hope even my worst critics stay on Twitter because that’s what free speech means,” he wrote ahead of the takeover announcement on Monday.
I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022
The acquisition of Twitter also seems to have prompted users to leave the platform. Under the hashtags #Twexit and #DeleteTwitter, many are wondering about alternatives to the social network. “Where do I go when Twitter starts to suck? » asked a user.
More than empty words, these Internet users really seem to have left the network. Some accounts also reported on Monday that they had lost a significant number of subscribers. Without specifying whether the change was directly related to the news, the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museuma memorial site for the two German concentration camps, announced that it had lost “35,000 subscribers overnight” from Monday to Tuesday.
The CounterSocial network, which promises “no trolls, no abuse, no ads, no fake news [et] No Foreign Influence Operations,” stopped working on Monday, due to too much new user volume.
“So many Twitter folks jumped on #CounterSocial today that demand outstripped supply! […] Clearly many people do NOT want their ‘public square’ to be owned by right-wing billionaires,” it read. on Twitter.
If new users flock to Truth Social, they will still have to wait a while before accessing the social network, while thousands of people are still on a waiting list, two months after its launch.