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After the riots broke out on Capitol Hill in the United States, Trump was "blocked" by mainstream social media, and his supporters were so angry that they "turned" to niche social media. This has led to the vigorous development of marginal social media such as Rumble, Parler, and Gab, and has formed a "fighting arena" trend with mainstream social media. Many experts worry that Americans choose social media software based on the political inclinations of different platforms, leading to social media fragmentation. This trend will not only increase the polarization of American society, but also promote the spread of extremism.

　　"Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, goodbye!" After Twitter, Facebook and other tech giants announced the ban on Trump's account, the former president's supporter ran to these social media platforms to leave a message to express his anger. According to media reports such as USA Today, after Trump was "blocked", Parler issued a statement saying that people have the right to be better served, and they don't need to be told how to think by others. The statement seemed to resonate. The market research firm found that because of its "friendly" conservatives, Parler was the No. 1 software in the Apple and Google app stores in November last year, and its number of users and daily active users soared by 300 in a short period of time. Thousands of people.

Twitter image source Visual China

　　Other social media platforms such as MeWe, Rumble, and Gab have had a similar experience with Parler. Among them, Parler and Gab are a replica of Twitter, while Rumble is equivalent to a replacement for YouTube. Rumble is one of the "best" of these platforms. The New York Times recently stated that not only did Trump enter the platform, but it also received tens of millions of dollars in support from some center-right entrepreneurs. Rumble recently averaged 44 million monthly visits.

　　These niche social media platforms, like Trump's "Truth Social" software, bill themselves as "bastions of free speech" and do not impose various restrictions like Twitter and Facebook. These platforms have thus attracted a large number of center-right conservatives as well as far-right elements. Some prominent political and media personalities in the US have also joined niche social media platforms. South Dakota Governor Noam announced that she has opened an account on MeWe. Fox Business host Barty Rom said she had left Twitter and turned to Parler.

　　Because niche social media is less restricted, the far-right continues to post conspiracy theories and racist remarks on these platforms. They believe this is exercising freedom of speech from interference from mainstream social media platforms. However, experts have warned that the expansion of the influence of niche social media platforms could further fuel extremist tendencies.

　　The choice of social media software by different groups of people based on their political leanings creates an environment that reinforces cognitive biases that divide social media users into liberal and conservative camps, further dividing American society. Rauch, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a U.S. think tank, said the U.S. will inevitably see a split in social media.

　　In January 2021, Apple and Google pulled the software from their app stores, citing insufficient measures taken by Parler to prevent incitement to violence, and Amazon suspended Parler's cloud services. Some conservatives are very unhappy with this. Some experts analyzed the "DW" that if the network environment is open, everyone can observe the information released by different groups of people on the Internet, so that they can predict what will happen. If some groups are dispersed across different social platforms or move offline, it will be more difficult for analysts to observe their actions, and therefore more difficult to spot potential sabotage or violence. Parler reappeared in the Apple App Store in February 2021 after adding content filters.

　　What worries some observers is the "whitewashing" of niche social media platforms and some mainstream news outlets. Vogt, global communications director at the Sofan Group, a national and foreign security consulting firm, said in an interview with the US "chronic" network magazine that many conspiracy theories start out as fringe information, and then the audience will see them on Fox News, which further Increased the spread of conspiracy theories. In the information ecosystem, the gap between die-hard extremists and mainstream society is narrowing.

　　According to the "Washington Post" report on August 9, extremists are also trying to bring together extremism of different factions by advancing some "common causes", such as opposing the implementation of restrictions due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic. Analysts say each "iterative update" of the extremist group has made the network more complex and more violent.