Small but loyal groups regularly get news on alternative social media
Alternative social media attract a small but loyal base of news consumers. Alternative social media news consumers are more likely overall to favour free speech rules than protection against false or offensive content. 6% of US adults regularly get news from alternative social media, according to a survey by Pew Research Center. The study comprises Ex-president Donald Trump’s Truth Social, BitChute, Gab, Getter, Parler, Rumble and Telegram.
Nearly two-thirds of alternative social media news consumers (64%) favor the protection of free speech even if it brings with it some false content, while 61% of all U.S. adults prefer that tech companies take steps to restrict this kind of content even if it limits freedom of information, the Pew report says.
“In recent years, several new options have emerged in the social media universe, many of which explicitly present themselves as alternatives to more established social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – especially by opposing free speech restrictions they say are rife at those sites”, the Pew survey says.
Donald Trump’s use of social media, especially during the mob’s attack on the Capitol Hill aimed at preventing confirmation of that Trump had lost the presidential election, led to a wide discussion about what can be said, and what cannot be said, on social media. Several of Trump’s accounts were blocked as he was considered to have inspired violence.
LIKE-MINDED
Although fewer than one-in-ten Americans say they use any of these sites for news, most who do say they have found a community of like-minded people there.
“And news consumers on the four sites with large enough numbers to be analyzed individually – Parler, Rumble, Telegram and Truth Social – largely say they are satisfied with their experience getting news on the sites, that they find the information there to be mostly accurate, and that the discussions are mostly friendly.”
“At the same time, however, the study finds signs that these sites may be another symptom of the increasingly polarized public discourse – and Americans’ partisan divisions in the broader news media environment.”
66% of those who regularly get news from at least one of the seven alternative social media sites identify as Republicans or lean toward the Republican Party, in contrast with the news consumers on more established social media sites, who largely identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, the survey shows.
MAGA
“And this trend is common among prominent accounts as well, with about a quarter of these accounts (26%) identifying as conservative or Republican or supportive of former President Donald Trump or his “Make America Great Again” movement. In addition, many prominent accounts express other values such as patriotism and religious identity, the Pew says.”
The study found that 15% of prominent accounts on these seven newer sites have been banned or demonetized elsewhere on social media.
“Perhaps connected to that, Americans who have heard of these sites but do not use them as sources for news are skeptical of them. When asked for the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about alternative social media sites, people in this category commonly cite inaccuracy and misinformation, political bias and the political right, and extremism and fringe ideas.”
QANON
“Other elements of the study speak to some of these associations. A small but measurable share of prominent accounts across these sites (6%) mention a connection to the set of conspiracy theories known as QAnon.”
“And an analysis of recent content posted by prominent accounts on these sites finds that the most common phrases include some that are controversial and even inflammatory such as wariness toward vaccines and negative associations with LGBTQ people. Moreover, one of the most prevalent destinations for links found in these posts is The Gateway Pundit, a digital outlet that has been criticized for publishing false information.”
Parler is the best known of the seven sites named in the survey, with 38% of U.S. adults saying they are familiar with it. The share who get news on these sites is much smaller: Just 6% of Americans get news from at least one of the seven sites mentioned, and no single site is used for news by more than 2% of U.S. adults.
54% of prominent accounts appeal to some kind of value or political orientation in their profiles. The most common of these values was right-leaning – 26% of prominent accounts expressed some kind of right-leaning or pro-Trump appeal – more of which centered around Trump or his “Make America Great Again” movement than with the Republican Party or conservative ideology.
RELIGIOUS
Other expressed values included appeals to a religious identity (21% of prominent accounts), patriotism/pro-America views (21%), freedom and liberty (7%), pro-gun or pro-Second Amendment positions (6%), and support for the set of conspiracy theories known as QAnon (6%).
83% of the prominent accounts are run by individuals. That can mean either a single person with a noted affiliation to an organization or one without any organizational affiliation. Another 12% are organizations, including news organizations, nonprofit groups and others.
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