By Magdalene Ko and Katelyn Lam, Staff Writers
On January 6th, 2021, a group of Trump supporters, many with far-right-wing ties, stormed the Capitol building in an effort to halt the certification of the 2020 election. The last time the United States Capitol was breached was in 1814 by the British Royal Navy. This time, congressmen were attacked by fellow Americans who were outraged by lies about election fraud that were spreading over social media, fueled in part by President Trump. As a result, he has been banned from most social media platforms, along with many of his supporters.
Social media played a vital role in inciting the attack. Far-right groups used apps like Parler and Gab to communicate the best routes to take to avoid police, as well as tools needed to break into the capitol. Through those apps, they were able to spread the word and encourage more people to join. This attack on the Capitol showed just how easy it is for social media to spread information, whether it be true or false. The apps allowed them to organize and communicate with each other without police interference. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, Gab had fewer restrictions in place, making it appealing to many people, especially after Parler was shut down. Now, more than ever, it’s important to be wary of content on social media and to double check all facts. To some, what happened on January 6th was more than just a protest or a riot, it was a crime against the nation. The majority of the country, primarily being non-extremists, believe that no one, much less the President of the United States, should be condoning the behavior of violent protesters.
As a result of the Capitol riots, different platforms have become upstanders, taking action against radical violent political groups, as they saw no one else in control. Some such measures included discontinuing any sale of President Trump’s campaign merchandise. Shopify, an e-commerce platform, stated that they “have terminated stores affiliated with President Trump” because they do “not tolerate actions that incite violence” [Axios]. They felt Trump’s actions violated their Acceptable Use Policy, “which prohibits promotion or support of organizations, platforms, or people that threaten or condone violence to further a cause”. Much like Shopify, Stripe, who handles monetary transactions for websites and apps, announced that they will no longer process any payments for the president’s campaign.
Pinterest and TikTok took the measure of banning certain hashtags. On TikTok, where videos of any sort can easily go viral, hashtags such as #stormthecapitol and #patriotparty would be redirected to community guidelines. The photo platform Pinterest has taken a similar approach, limiting hashtags like #stopthesteal. They will be “continuing to monitor and removing harmful content, including misinformation and conspiracy theories that may incite violence” [Axios].
Several other social media outlets took even stronger action, completely banning groups of extremists. A common platform for sharing ideas, Reddit banned the subreddit group r/DonaldTrump. Their explanation was that they “prohibit content that promotes hate, or encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence against groups of people or individuals” [Axios]. Discord enacted similar measures to Reddit, banning the server TheDonald. Although there is no evidence the server was used to incite riots, the group was banned from the communication app because of its connection to other networks that did. YouTube has also decided to enforce stronger rules, saying that any video containing false claims related to the election’s validity would be given a strike. For YouTube, a strike restricts uploading or live streaming new videos. If a channel has three strikes in 90 days, it will be permanently removed from YouTube.
Parler, a social media communication platform similar to Twitter that was used to stir up the rioters, has also been hit with consequences after the attack on the 6th. Google, Apple, and Amazon are just a few of the companies suspending Parler. According to Apple, “Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety” [Axios]. Both Google and Apple discontinued the app-Google removing it from the Google Play Store and Apple from the App Store. By doing so, users can no longer download the app, although it is still accessible by website. In a similar move, Amazon Web Services, which provides cloud storage, discontinued their service for Parler. Okta, a company that authenticates identities, and Twilio, a communication platform, have both followed suit and either limited or suspended Parler access. Okta took Parler off their free trial while Twilio has indefinitely suspended it.
When President Trump’s tweets about the Capitol violence went against Twitter’s Glorification of Violence policy, he was banned immediately and permanently. They felt keeping his account running would possibly incite further violence in the future. Trump has by far been the most active president on social media, tweeting often and passionately about a multitude of subjects. However, despite numerous reminders and warnings, Trump’s tweets throughout his presidency have spread misinformation his audience doesn’t often double-check. His influence through his tweets was considered by many as a form of media manipulation. After the attack on the capitol, many realized just how much Trump influenced the people. It was a reminder that his words do not just gain the support of his followers but can be turned into actions as well.
On Twitch, much like Twitter, they disabled his account to “prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence”. With the consequences of his actions apparent, Twitch “believe[s] this is a necessary step to protect [their] community”, a feeling many people use the service for [Axios]. As with Twitch, Facebook and Instagram also followed in banning the president. They believed “the risks of allowing the President to continue to use [their] service during this period are simply too great” [Mark Zuckerberg]. They felt the risks outweigh the benefits of having the president have access to an account, as it acknowledges that any violence or support of it is wrong.
As news of the president being banned started spreading, some grew worried about the power these social media platforms have. The actions of Facebook and Twitter could easily be seen as a limitation of free speech. It felt like an act of tyrannical control against the freedom of speech valued so highly in America. Talk show host Dave Rubin weighed in, saying “There is a war on reality. We are in an information war” [Fox]. Others were worried about the amount of power being controlled by only several people. Decisions as big as these would most certainly go directly to the CEOs, who would then weigh the pros and cons with a board to decide whether or not to take action. Concern grew that these huge companies could have unrestrained power to remove such important voices, especially when these decisions are so often politically driven. People began questioning whether social media will become a political tool as well, rather than a place for sharing ideas and news. Several Republican politicians began making their opinions known, like Republican Representative Ashley Hinson from Iowa, who tweeted “This isn’t right”.
To many other citizens, his ban provided a sense of relief. They viewed this as an end to the lies of a president who encouraged an attack on his own capitol. Many people spoke out publicly about the matter, House Speaker Pelosi going as far as petitioning for the 25 amendment to be put into action. If successful, it would mean replacing Trump and indicting Vice President Pence as president. Pence was “heartbroken and astounded that this narcissistic and dangerous president would put lives in danger and encourage violent sedition against our government”. Many others felt similarly ashamed and disappointed that the President of the United States would encourage such acts of defamation. Pink also tweeted about what happened; she was “ashamed of what is happening in Washington. Hypocrisy, shame, Embarrassment. Unpatriotic hypocritical sheep drinking poison Kool aid. This is a sad day for America.” News of the incident and its effects have now spread to beyond America; on Facebook, Russian Senator Kosachev wrote “”America no longer defines the course, and therefore has lost all right to set it. And even more so to impose it on others”. To many citizens, our nation, which once stood as a symbol for others to follow, has turned into nothing but a farce amidst the constant chaos. Not much has been heard from Trump directly on the whole ordeal, and without Twitter he seems to have gone silent for the time being.
Now that Trump’s been banned, many tech companies looked toward the inauguration on January 20th, hoping that no other riots would start. Big companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google were all on high alert for any sign of upcoming violence. However, the preventative measures didn’t only stop with tech giants, as travel groups also put policies in place to prevent possible outbreaks of violence. Almost all platforms have taken action against Trump, leaving everyone wondering about the future use and power of social media.
