They say a billionaire will always find their way to get the upper hand.
Just like how Twitter’s decision to pull former US president Donald Trump off its user list sparked the start of Truth Social.
With all the controversy and noise about its name, everyone is curious to know how many people use Truth Social in 2023.
We will not keep you waiting! We promise to give out interesting facts about this social media platform.
Truth Social Users: How Many People Use Truth Social in 2023?
As of the latest data, Truth Social has an estimated 2 million users.
It has over 500,000 downloads on Google Play Store and 113,000 reviews on Apple App Store.
According to Wiki, it placed in the 101st spot on Apple’s list of social media platforms with the highest number of downloads.
Fast Facts About Truth Social
Here are some fast facts about Truth Social:
- Truth Social is run by two mega enterprises namely Donal Trump’s entity Trump Media & Technology Group and T Media Tech LLC
- The platform’s CEO is Devin Nunes, a former US Representative
- Truth Social’s “Truth,” similar to Twitter’s Tweets, can accommodate up to 500 characters
- Its retweet-like feature is called “Re-truth”
Truth Social – How Did It Begin?
On January 2021, Twitter’s management decided to ban former US president Donald Trump from its platform following the January 6 Capitol Riot.
Trump was believed to have sparked the commotion after posting triggering Tweets on Twitter under his personal account @realDonaldTrump.
At that time, the former president had close to 90 million followers.
Truth Social was born in February of the following year.
It markets itself as a “free speech” social media platform with lesser censorship than mainstream social media sites.
Truth Social’s Love-Hate Relationship with Google Play Store
Google Play Store is adamant about not making Truth Social’s way to fame easy.
During the year of its launch, the third-party service provider barred the direct downloading of the service from its premise.
Instead, users can only pre-register in case it becomes available in the future.
In its defense, Google said Truth Social’s then current version posed some violations on its guidelines.
This happened at the same time that the Trump-owned platform has reportedly owed its web hosting provider some $1.6 million in unpaid dues.
But Google did not keep its tough stance. As of the date of this publishing, Truth Social is already available for download.
500,000+ users have already got their hands on the app, with a 3.6-star rating on its name.
Truth Social Controversies
The number of Truth Social users does not directly reflect its reliability.
According to a user who signed up on the app as a part of a social experiment, Truth Social is highly run by automated bots.
The user claimed to have gotten 20 followers within two minutes after registering.
Is Truth Social Making Money?
On the financial side, Truth Social is still in its infancy and it’s barely making any money.
Reports claim that it does not make any ad revenue – it is failing to attract advertisers that are willing to splurge cash to market their products on the site.
Its series of misfortune severely affected its ability to make ROI amd the company said it forecasts generating losses in the foreseeable future.
Truth Social vs. Other Social Media Alternatives
Surprisingly, Truth Social is faring well compared to other social media alternatives.
This is shown in a report published by Pew Research Center on the extent to which Americans have heard and have not heard of the following non-mainstream social platforms.
Have Heard:
- Parler – 38% of US adults have heard of this platform at least once
- Truth Social – 27% of US adults have heard of this platform at least once
- Telegram – 27% of US adults have heard of this platform at least once
- Rumble – 20% of US adults have heard of this platform at least once
- Gab – 10% of US adults have heard of this platform at least once
- Gettr – 11% of US adults have heard of this platform at least once
- BitChute – 7% of US adults have heard of this platform at least once
Have Not Heard:
- Parler – 61% of US adults have not heard of this platform even once
- Truth Social – 72% of US adults have not heard of this platform even once
- Telegram – 72% of US adults have not heard of this platform even once
- Rumble – 79% of US adults have not heard of this platform even once
- Gab – 88% of US adults have not heard of this platform even once
- Gettr – 89% of US adults have not heard of this platform even once
- BitChute – 92% of US adults have not heard of this platform even once
What Are Truth Social Users Talking About?
Included on the Same Pew Research Center study is the percentage of users on social media alternatives talking about trending discussions such as guns, LGBTQ, and vaccines in June 2022.
Results show 64% of Truth Social users posted about topics related to “guns” during the period.
62% discussed the “January 6 Capitol Riot Attack” and another 55% mentioned about “LGBTQ” and “vaccines.”
Lastly, 54% of all users talked about “abortion.”
Elon Musk Reinstated Donald Trump’s Twitter Account
Upon assuming Twitter’s lead position, one of Elon’s first order of business was to reopen the Donald Trump Twitter-banning case.
The Tesla CEO opened a poll asking the public whether to reinstate Trump’s banned Twitter account.
The result showed in favor of reinstatement. Despite the move, Trump said he has no plans to come back to Twitter.
Conclusion
2 million people – that is how many people use Truth Social today.
The platform claims to be advocating for free and unfiltered speech after Donald Trump unexpectedly got “kicked off” Twitter in 2021.
There is so much yet to know about Truth Social. Will it be a force for good in the future?
That is something to look forward to.
Sources
CBS News | DePaulia Online | PCMag |
NPR | PewResearch | TheSmallBusinessBlog |
CBS News | Play Google | SourceForge |
Blog Twitter | Apps Apple |