Truth Social: Kenyans Migrate To Trump App After Elon Musk Twitter Changes
The social media platform was created by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which was formed in February 2021
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Truth Social, a social media platform launched by former United States (US) President, Donald Trump, is gaining huge popularity in Kenya if sentiments by Kenyans On Twitter (KOT) are anything to go by.
The app on Sunday, July 2 did face technical difficulties and crashes believed to be a result of mass migration by social media users from Twitter.
According to Downdetector.com, an online platform that provides users with real-time information about the status of various websites and services, close to 500 reports were made regarding outages on the platform as of 2.55 pm before it was restored to normalcy as the surge in new users put significant strain on the infrastructure, leading to service interruptions.
The challenges raised concern about the app’s stability and its ability to handle the influx of new users, who reacted in response to Elon Musk's move to impose daily reading limits on all Twitter users.
A user logged in to Twitter on his phone. /FILE
Viral Tea takes a look at the Truth Social app which KOT are suddenly moving to:
What is Truth Social?
The social media platform was created by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which was formed in February 2021 after the former president was banned from all mainstream social media platforms. This came after the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill attack over fears he would use them to incite further violence.
It was launched on February 21, 2022, but since mid-2022, it has been encountering financial and regulatory issues. The application was initially not available on Google Play because of violations of Google policies prohibiting content with physical threats and incitement to violence but was approved for Google Play in October 2022 after agreeing to enforce policies against incitement.
In an effort to shake up the social media space, the Truth Social app provides an alternative to Twitter and Facebook. Despite it working almost exactly like Twitter, we found out that there are features that distinguish Truth Social from the Musk-owned counterpart.
How Truth Social Works
Once someone gains access to Truth Social, they'll be presented with an app that looks almost identical to Twitter.
The 'Feed' page is a timeline of posts from other users, and users can reply to posts, like/heart them, and re-share posts with their followers.
Posts on Truth Social are called 'Truths' instead of Tweets, and re-shares are called 'ReTruths' instead of Retweets. Truth Social also borrows from Twitter with a nearly identical app design, direct messaging, and the ability to follow/unfollow users.
While most would prefer using Truth Social on their phones, the platform is also available via the website which lets you sign up for an account, personalize your profile, and even enable two-factor authentication. Users can also post Truths from the Truth Social website by tapping the 'Compose' button at the bottom of the left sidebar.
A Truth can contain up to 500 characters, and users on the web can include up to four photos or a video by tapping the paperclip icon in the dialogue box.
Essentially, Truth Social's website functions like Twitter does on the web, letting users view their feeds, create new posts, send DMs, and engage with other users, just like they would on the official apps.
A screen grab of Truth Social's home page. /TRUTHSOCIAL.COM
How To Download Truth Social on Your Phone
- One can head over to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, search for 'Truth Social,' and download the Truth Social app from developer 'T Media Tech LLC.'
- Upon opening the app, tap 'Create an Account,' enter your date of birth, tap 'Next,' enter your email address, and tap the 'Next' button again.
- Truth Social will then send an email verification to ensure the email address you entered is valid. Open your email app, open the email from Truth Social, and tap 'Confirm email address.'
- Users are then prompted to create a password that meets the requirements. Next, enter your cell phone number, and on the next page, enter the six-digit code sent via text message.
- Tap 'Next,' enter a username for the app, tap the toggle to agree to Truth's terms of service, and tap 'Finish.' Users can now add a display name, profile picture, and header image.
While Truth Social says it's a "social media platform that is free from political discrimination," it is apparent that it is geared heavily towards fans/followers of the former President.
Trump's support and promotion of Truth Social are bound to give it an edge over similar platforms, but whether it can legitimately compete with Facebook, Twitter, and other major players remains to be seen.
Elon Musk Increases Reading Limit
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Musk has since increased the reading limit to 10,000, 1,000 and 500 for verified, existing and new users, respectively, though this has done little to stop the uproar that ensued following the directive.
Musk said in his original tweet that the change is temporary and was put in place to "address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation". He also noted that the move seeks to prevent third-party applications from accessing data off the platform.
The third-party applications included Artificial Intelligence (AI) apps that rely on internet data to analyse human behaviour and enable problem-solving techniques.
Musk is still yet to reveal how long the temporary limits would last, with many speculations that the move is meant to force users to pay for the Twitter Blue service. International reports further indicated that Musk had refused to pay an existing Ksh140 billion contract with a tech company for cloud storage services.
According to Bloomberg, Twitter's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Linda Yaccarino resumed paying for the essential cloud storage space.
Twitter currently hosts several key services on the cloud storage, and the platform owner seeks to migrate to its servers.
