{"id":208415,"date":"2021-03-23T00:44:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T21:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-trumps-social-media-network-will-be-an-epic-failure\/"},"modified":"2021-03-23T00:44:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T21:44:28","slug":"why-trumps-social-media-network-will-be-an-epic-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-trumps-social-media-network-will-be-an-epic-failure\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why Trump\u2019s social media network will be an epic failure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Why Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> network will be an epic failure<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            I\u2019ve seen a lot of dumb startup pitches in my day, but a Donald Trump-branded social media network takes the stupid cake.<\/p>\n<p>All I can figure is, we\u2019re exactly two months away from the FBI\u2019s birthday and team Trump\u2019s determined to get the old agency the <i>perfect<\/i><span> gift this year. Or maybe Trump just <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2016\/live-updates\/general-election\/real-time-fact-checking-and-analysis-of-the-first-presidential-debate\/fact-check-has-trump-declared-bankruptcy-four-or-six-times\/\">really likes losing money<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>For those out of the loop\u00a0here\u2019s a video of Trump\u2019s spokesperson discussing the matter yesterday:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Donald Trump spokesman Jason Miller: <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do think that we\u2019re going to see Pres. Trump returning to social media, in probably two or three months, with his own platform.\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/csi3VUtzfs\">pic.twitter.com\/csi3VUtzfs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alex Salvi (@alexsalvi<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/alexsalvinews\/status\/1373717896862474241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 21, 2021<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Here\u2019s the meat of Miller\u2019s rambling:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I do think that we\u2019re going to see President Trump returning to social media in probably about two or three months here, with his own platform. And this is something that I think will be the hottest ticket in social media, it\u2019s going to completely redefine the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>, and everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what exactly President Trump does.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I honestly don\u2019t think Trump\u2019s stupid enough to launch his own social media network (Miller prefaced things with \u201cI do <em>think<\/em>\u201d). I\u2019m more inclined to believe we\u2019ll see Gab or Parler or something similar relaunched with a Trump partnership.<\/p>\n<p>But, I really <i>hope<\/i><span> Trump starts his own network. As a journalist, it\u2019s always nice to say \u201cI told you so.\u201d And, as mentioned, the FBI would love it. I just don\u2019t see how anyone with a basic understanding of the tech market could imagine, even for a second, that this is a viable concept. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If the network was technically sound, innovative, and viable without Trump, you\u2019d have to be an idiot to launch it with him. Trump automatically cuts your potential US user base in half, and it gets worse in markets outside the US.<\/li>\n<li>A Trump social media network has to be uncensored (or else, what\u2019s the point?). But you can\u2019t be both anonymous and uncensored if you want to avoid being completely disrupted by trolls, bots, and bad actors.<\/li>\n<li>If it doesn\u2019t allow anonymous signups, the FBI will park on it. And it\u2019s safe to say a Trump network won\u2019t have the resources to fight off the US government like <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>le does.<\/li>\n<li>Without self-regulation, an online business is unsustainable due to the limited number of hosts available at the scale necessary to support enough users to generate a profit.<\/li>\n<li>There aren\u2019t enough hardcore conservative advertisers for a Trump-branded social media network to operate under the traditional ad-based social media paradigm.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The core problem with a Trump network is the same with any advertising-based endeavor: you get more flies with honey than you do by trying to convince people the US government has been overthrown by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2021\/02\/12\/trumps-big-lie-was-bigger-than-just-stolen-election\/\">a conspiracy against you<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It might sound like I\u2019m trying to make a joke here, but I\u2019m not. That\u2019s the problem. Trump\u2019s brand is built on convincing people he\u2019s the rightfully-elected president of the United States without any evidence to support that claim. The number of advertisers willing to pay money to support that idea is bound to be slim.<\/p>\n<p>The only upside here is that Trump\u2019s really popular and people love to see what he\u2019ll do next. The downside is that, at any moment, he could be associated with another <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2021\/jan\/06\/trump-mob-storm-capitol-washington-coup-attempt\">violent coup attempt<\/a>. Even if only indirectly, until he recognizes the absolute legitimacy of the current US government, he\u2019s going to be inseparable from acts of violence committed in his name by those who believe his <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/12\/26\/us\/politics\/republicans-voter-fraud.html\">baseless lies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And as long as that\u2019s the case, his social media network won\u2019t be able to exist on traditional advertising revenue.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, there are other ways to fund a social media company. Trump could tap big-time conservative investors or come up with a subscription-based model. But none of those are sustainable beyond a few months.<\/p>\n<p>Social media companies need massive user bases in order to be profitable. And if you\u2019re already limiting your audience to people who don\u2019t find Trump distasteful, it\u2019s kind of silly to then further limit it to people willing to pay for social media.<\/p>\n<p>Trump may have conservative support at the upper echelons, but his core supporters are the blue collar people who donate to his political causes. Like tithing at church, these supporters may not give in large amounts but they give often. And, also like tithing at church, the relationship completely changes when there\u2019s a cover charge to get in.<\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t keep a social media network running on VC investment alone, so without advertising bucks or a massive subscriber base, the network\u2019s already doomed. Plus, it\u2019ll have bigger problems than just convincing donors or users to shell out for the privilege of supporting Trump:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A. The Trump Social Media Network is going to be the biggest hacking target in existence. <\/p>\n<p>B. When it does get hacked, crimes will be uncovered. <\/p>\n<p>C. Many other crimes will be admitted publicly because Trump supporters aren\u2019t that smart.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BriannaWu\/status\/1373768715519557636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 21, 2021<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But let\u2019s put on our imagination hats and our clown noses and pretend like a Trump-backed social media network <i>could<\/i><span> generate a profit. The next problem: Trump\u2019s brand is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2020\/5\/29\/21273191\/trump-twitter-social-media-censorship-executive-order-analysis-bias\">anti-censorship<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Unfortunately for team Trump, the reality of operating a social media network is that you have two choices: either ban people from screaming \u201cfire\u201d in a crowded theater or live with a paradigm where a large percentage of users are only there to yell \u201cfire\u201d in crowded theaters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If you don\u2019t have rules against harassment, you\u2019ll have nothing but harassment. That\u2019s just internet 101. You can\u2019t stop people from arguing. And, unless you ban liberals or censor anti-conservative rhetoric, you\u2019re going to have a platform that\u2019s inundated with people who oppose Trump, his views, and his supporters. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The alternative is a censored network endorsed by Donald Trump \u2013 which would be hilarious, really. Especially since conservatives are notorious for not understanding what the right to Free Speech is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1251607 aligncenter lazy\" alt=\"\" width=\"566\" height=\"577\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 566px) 100vw, 566px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2019\/10\/free_speech.png\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2019\/10\/free_speech.png 566w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2019\/10\/free_speech-206x210.png 206w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2019\/10\/free_speech-265x270.png 265w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2019\/10\/free_speech-132x135.png 132w\"\/><figcaption>Credit: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/imgs.xkcd.com\/comics\/free_speech.png\">XKCD<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span>So, uncensored? Team Trump will have to do what no other platform has managed: find a company willing to host an uncensored social media network. Which probably won\u2019t happen, at least not in the US.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019ll have to at least have <\/span><i>some<\/i><span> rules that, for example, prevent the solicitation of minors, the promotion of violence, and the sale of illegal weapons and drugs. And, as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-amazon-com-parler-idUSKBN2AV1J0\">Parler found out the hard way<\/a>, even if you have policies against illegal activities and the promotion of violence, you have to demonstrate you\u2019re capable of handling it quickly when users breach your terms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Trump\u2019s going to need one hell of an AI team to create some powerful content moderation algorithms. It\u2019s one thing to brand your network conservative, it\u2019s another to associate it directly with the face of the right wing conspiracy-theorist movement. That\u2019s quite a target for bad actors. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In order for the Trump-backed network to do the bare minimum to obtain long-term hosting, it\u2019ll end up being just as \u201ccensored\u201d as Twitter and Facebook. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And we haven\u2019t even gotten to what happens when the US government gives the Trump network the same treatment it\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FBI%E2%80%93Apple_encryption_dispute\">given Apple for years<\/a>. When every court with a hate crime in its district in the entire country starts subpoenaing the network\u2019s entire database of user records, team Trump better be ready for a never-ending fight against law enforcement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But, hey, don\u2019t let me talk anyone out of signing up. It might sound like a bad idea on paper, but when you look at it from the FBI\u2019s point of view: what could possibly be\u00a0better than a social media network that aims to gather millions of anti-government conspiracy theorists in a single website?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1343678 aligncenter lazy\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/03\/fbitrumpkiss.gif\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/facebook\/2021\/03\/22\/why-trumps-social-media-network-will-be-an-epic-failure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Why Trump\u2019s social media network will be an epic failure&#8221; I\u2019ve seen a lot of dumb startup pitches in my day, but a Donald Trump-branded social media network takes the stupid cake. All I can figure is, we\u2019re exactly two months away from the FBI\u2019s birthday and team Trump\u2019s determined to get the old agency&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":208416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2018\/05\/trump_twitter.jpg&signature=a2491e55457f170cb08ff23f586f7d88","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[87616,93824,98882,70759],"class_list":["post-208415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-law-enforcement-agency","tag-right-wing-politics","tag-team","tag-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}