The former president had 88 million followers on Twitter and 35 million on Facebook and used his personal accounts more than official ones, even for political statements.
Donald Trump was one of the most effective politicians in the use of social networks until the main platforms abruptly banned him. Here are some keys to the turbulent relationship between the former US president and social networks after an independent Facebook panel maintained the blockade of his account on that platform.
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Without filters
Trump had 88 million followers on Twitter and 35 million on Facebook and used his personal accounts more than his official ones, even for political statements.
His critics maintain that he repeatedly violated the norms of the networks against hateful or abusive expressions but until the final months of his term, he published everything he wanted without anyone leaking his messages.
Their unusual use of the networks made them become an important space for political discourse.
Trump’s blocking of those who criticized him on Twitter generated a lawsuit and in 2019 a court ruled that his personal account was a “public forum” that should allow all voices.
Exceptions to the rules
Until last year, the big networks rejected calls to remove Trump’s often false or inflammatory content. They argued that even if he violated their rules, the comments of a president of the United States should be kept because they were news.
Trump often criticized the networks and attributed political prejudices to them. But he invited Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to a private dinner at the White House in 2019, sparking suspicion that the largest social network gave him special treatment.
Warning labels
In 2020, Facebook and Twitter began adding warning labels to many Trump messages, for example when he urged voting twice: once by mail and once in person. “When the polls open, go to the polling place to see if (your vote) was counted. If not, vote! ”He posted.
In June, Facebook removed an ad that used the inverted triangle that the Nazis put prisoners in concentration camps and gradually the big platforms tried to moderate the president’s messages.
Facebook removed a comment stating that the United States had “learned to live” the flu season “just as we are learning to live with covid, which in many populations is far less lethal.” Twitter hid that message and required users to click to view it.
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Follow the news of El Espectador on Google NewsThe fall
After a heated electoral process in which Trump was seen as the greatest source of disinformation, the platforms took more energetic actions after the deadly assault of their supporters on the Capitol on January 6.
“The tremendous events of the past 24 hours clearly showed that President Donald Trump is trying to use his remaining time in office to undermine a peaceful and legal transition to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page. .
Twitter took the same path, but founder Jack Dorsey admitted his share of guilt for letting things get out of hand.
“Banning an account has real and significant ramifications,” Dorsey said in a series of tweets about the company’s decision to remove Trump from its network.
“While there are obvious and clear exceptions, I feel that a ban is ultimately our failure to promote healthy conversations,” he said.
