Parler. Telegram. Gab. Gettr. 8Chan. And now Trump’s new Truth Social, due out in 2022. So what do these have in common? They’re right-wing social media apps, spewing with hate speech, misinformation, and more.
Not only do right-wing users still use Twitter (and get incensed when the terms of service are rightfully used against them), and studies show Facebook caters to them over liberals, that’s not enough. They must have their own abhorrent social media. Social media that the awful liberals also use isn’t good enough for them. They have to make sure their own separate space with few, if any, terms of service to share their hatred of the world. Even politicians use these because they regularly get banned from traditional social media – and if they were ordinary citizens, they would be banned for life.
And that’s one of the significant differences between liberals and conservatives today. Sure, like conservatives, we have our own subreddits and our own blogs and podcasts, but that’s been standard since those existed. There have always been those things for niche groups, and there are those for Republicans, Libertarians, and more. But, on the other hand, we don’t create our own social media with no terms of service to fuel hate against the other party. These social media apps have been made since Trump came on the scene. (Doesn’t the hate always go back to him?)
And while many liberals go against the terms of service on Twitter and get banned, which I’m not proud of, they are not Democratic politicians. Our politicians speak the truth on social media, but not in a detestable way. Not in a way that makes me sick to my stomach. Not in a way that makes me ashamed to follow them. Not in a way that would make me question my party’s values or if I should vote Democratic anymore, which I would be doing if I were a Republican at this moment.
If there were a pure liberal social media app, would I join it? Absolutely not. I believe that’s taking it a step too far. I think it would be full of hate and propaganda, just like conservative social media apps. The terms of service would allow users to go way too far. And just like the conservative apps, I just plain can’t get behind that. Hatred is never acceptable, no matter who is behind it. And misinformation is just plain dangerous to our nation as a whole. I would never be able to consent to the exact behavior of liberals that conservatives are doing. I would wholeheartedly condemn it.
And that brings me back to the difference between liberals and conservatives. While most liberals would condemn the hatefulness, the lack of the terms of service, the blatant misinformation on an all-liberal social media app, conservatives seem to not only accept these platforms, but revel in them. And sadly, as I mentioned, they’re not only for citizens but also for famous conservatives and Republican politicians.
It’s objectionable, offensive, and quite frankly, deplorable.
