Internet users have a long list of social media platforms to choose from, with one of the most controversial, Truth Social, coming this year.
Following his ban from Twitter, former President Donald Trump launched his own social media platform, but who is the CEO and how many users does his Truth Social have?
What Is Truth Social?
Truth Social has a similar design to that of Twitter, with profiles being created that show how many people are following you and how many followers you have.
The platform also allows users to write posts that can be replied to as well as "ReTruthed," the platform's version of retweeted.
Trump's social media platform was officially launched on February 21, 2022, and thousands of users signed up.
This resulted in multiple prominent conservatives announcing they had joined the platform. Many argued it was a step against "Big Tech" and praised Trump for rolling out a "free speech" social network. Many of those who signed up argued that Twitter had become too restrictive.
As evidence for this, some pointed to the fact that Trump had been banned from the platform. Twitter said that he was banned out of fear he would use the platform to incite violence, following the events of January 6, 2021.
Truth Social's popularity appeared evident hours after its launch on the Apple App Store. Some would-be users said they had been placed in a lengthy queue, sometimes with tens of thousands of others ahead of them, while trying to create an account.
Who Is the CEO?
Former California Republican Representative Devin Nunes is the CEO of Truth Social. Nunes is also responsible for Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG).
In September, Nunes spoke on Newsmax about why he felt the platform was necessary and criticized other social media platforms such as Facebook.
"The point that I have been making for a long time is Big Tech is essentially a propaganda arm of the Democratic Party," he said.
"We are in a propaganda war which is why President Trump got completely booted off all of the platforms.
"I always say he didn't need another company and I didn't need another job but we had to open the internet back up and give the American people their voice back and that is what we do every day at Truth Social."
Nunes was born in Tulare, California, where he still lives with his wife and three daughters. A former farmer, he later became a founding partner in several California wineries and vineyards. He served as Republican representative for California from 2003 to 2022, resigning from the House to become the CEO of TMTG.
On his website he describes himself as an "outspoken anti-Communist" and "vehement critic of the mainstream media and Big Tech companies for suppressing conservatives and acting as a propaganda tool for the Democrats."
His website says that in response to what he claimed were left-wing media attacks and smear operations, "he largely stopped using YouTube, Twitter, and other dominant social media platforms due to their political bias and suppression of conservatives."
It says that he has also "stopped speaking to the mainstream media altogether."
How Many Users Are on Truth Social?
According to an April Forbes report, at the time Truth Social had at least 2 million active users.
Web analytics company Similar Web has also documented some statistics regarding Truth Social's traffic for September.
During that month, there were a total of 9 million visits to the app through desktop or mobile app. The bounce rate for the app, the proportion of users who left after viewing one page, was 45 percent. The average number of pages visited per visit was 4.8, with an average visit duration of 7:47 minutes.
The browser version of the app only became available from May, however.
According to Similar Web, Twitter had 6.8 billion visits in September, with a bounce rate of 32 percent. The average number of pages visited per visit was 10.4, with an average visit duration of 10:58 minutes.
Parler, which like Truth Social is also favored by conservatives, had 1.3 million visits in the same month, a bounce rate of 53 percent. Users visited an average of 2.8 pages per visit and the average visit duration was 3:04 minutes.
Newsweek has contacted Truth Social for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more
