Republicans are not known for their support of social media platforms, so it only makes sense that a social network promising free speech and the open sharing of ideas would cause excitement throughout the party. After former President Donald Trump announced his idea for Truth Social this month, more than 60% of Republicans said they’d use it.
This new social media platform, launching in 2022, is intended for open, free, and honest conversation. It is part of Trump Media and Technology Group, a larger movement against Big Tech by the former president. Its mission is to create a rival to the “liberal media consortium” that is silencing voices in America.
Over the last four years, Republicans have consistently argued that they are being censored by social media platforms. Various posts highlighting stories or information that some on the Left may find troublesome, dangerous, or violent are taken down by administrators or branded with a cautionary label, while similar content or unchecked misinformation from left-leaning users is left untouched.
I am all for free speech and fighting back against censorship, but when I heard about Truth Social, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. A social media platform harboring open thought and the exchange of ideas is what we need in a time characterized by heightened polarization and social media as a principal medium for communication. For many on the Right, Truth Social sounds like the solution.
However, it will be detrimental to the party.
First, it will allow for the festering of ideals that have been spread throughout more extreme members of the Republican Party. This will only be made worse by confirmation bias, particularly with dangerous alt-right commentary.
Second, the platform propagates what is supposed to be “truth.” In a press release by TMTG, Trump said, “I’m excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon.” This can pose a problem because of the subjectivity that it invites surrounding information. No matter the content, it soon becomes “truth” because everyone else shared the same “truth.” And with a large portion of the Republican Party still holding on to ideas spread by Trump during his presidency, allowing for often inaccurate comments to be shared and then considered the “truth” will create a larger division within the party and push more people to its fringes.
The third problem with the new social network is that it will further chip away at the Republican Party being viewed as a serious party, or a party meant to sustain the future. If the public perception, especially among young people, is that anything right of center is out of touch or extreme, then this platform will reinforce that. We will not be taken seriously if we’ve retreated into a bubble of selective information and affirmations. Embracing Truth Social will be another point against the Republican Party and its fight for redemption in the eyes of the public.
What’s the solution here? Too often on social media, dissenting opinions, counterarguments, and alternative perspectives are written off. We are not taught to accept when we are wrong or to invite disagreement when it comes to something we firmly believe in. Our online culture is proud and self-bolstering, and it is dividing us. Hard as it is, we have to change our behavior, throw out the stereotypes and the prejudices, and welcome exchanges across party lines.
Not all Republicans are defined by how the legacy media slander them. Not every right-leaning idea is inaccurate, insensitive, extreme, or born from conspiracy. If social media continues censoring people and ideas, however, it will create more of these problems on both sides. A better response to Truth Social is an improved online community where both Republicans and Democrats are welcome to engage. Without that opportunity, we are going to see further division between our parties and in our democracy. We may see a mass exodus of good Republicans and the values they hold.
Jessica Carpenter is director of marketing and communication for BridgeUSA, a youth-led nonprofit organization focused on creating political discussions across the aisle.
