TRUTH ENDANGERED
Trump is poised to launch a new social media platform called Truth Social
TRUTH, AS WE UNDERSTAND the word to mean, may be further endangered. Fake news will be getting a new megaphone as Trump announces plans to launch a new social media network called Truth Social. He said the platform will “stand up to the tyranny of big tech”, accusing them of silencing opposing voices in the USA. An early version will be open to invited guests soon, followed by a “nationwide rollout” within the first quarter of 2022, according to a statement by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG).
Apparently, the platform has already launched its registration page, and curious tech warriors who have scrutinised its Terms of Use are pointing out its bigoted stance: while it professes to let all American citizens exercise their first amendment right to express their views freely, its terms of use state that it will ban and/or prosecute any party that opposes its views or criticises it. So much for free speech.
What bothers us more is the labelling of lies as truth. This is nothing new of course. The propaganda machines have been so sophisticated and powerful that they have already befuddled reasonable conservative minds with their hateful lies. In the run-up to the November 2020 election, these propaganda machines reversed fact-checked mainstream news by presenting what is factual as lies, thereby causing dangerous division and polarisation within the country.
It is disturbing even for folks outside the USA. But should there not be a universal law against using the word “truth” as the name of an organisation or platform to safeguard the very essence of the word? In this case, there is real concern as the platform will be chaired by one of the most nefarious liars of this age, who is intent on grabbing power by any means.
We may be able to take comfort in one thing though: that “From the Desk of Donald J Trump”, which he launched earlier this year, was permanently shut down less than a month after it began because it only attracted a fraction of the audience he had expected. In any case the new platform is expected to give fresh opportunity for misinformation to flourish. Veracity warriors be vigilant.