>>21211189
>>21211200
>MeWe is a social media app.
>I wonder if the shooter could have been communicating there?
From Monday, July 15, 2024
Subtracted 13 days
Result: Tuesday, July 2, 2024
You're probably already familiar with the pro-Trump social network Parler. And it's likely you've heard of Rumble, the video service that conservatives are using as an alternative to YouTube.
But, are you familiar with MeWe?
The social media platform known as MeWe was actually the second most popular free app in Apple's App Store – right behind Parler – in the days following the 2020 Presidential election. While it hasn't reached that peak in some time, it's still being used by conservatives as an alternative to mainstream platforms like Facebook.
Here’s everything you need to know about MeWe, the site competing with platforms like Parler and Gettr for conservatives looking for a new online home.
What is MeWe?
MeWe is an alternative social networking site that's currently experiencing a surge in new users as Trump supporters search for new platforms in order to avoid Facebook and Twitter. It bills itself as the “next-gen social network” and centers its sales pitch to new users around data privacy and providing an ad-free experience.
MeWe is owned by a company called Sgrouples, which was actually also the name of the platform early on. It was founded by internet entrepreneur Mark Weinstein. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2019, Weinstein called himself “one of the guys who invented social media.” While that’s giving himself a bit too much credit, Weinstein was in the space early on. In 1998, he created a very early social network type site called SuperGroups, which was shut down by its investors in 2001.
In 2011, Weinstein started a new online business venture which eventually resulted in the creation of MeWe.
In his interview with Rolling Stone, Weinstein explained where the name MeWe came from.
“My life is composed of ‘me’ and then my ‘we,’ which is everybody that’s part of my life,” he said.
Who is using MeWe?
Almost everyone is using MeWe! Let me explain…
There are accounts for a number of major news outlets and personalities on MeWe. For example, here’s President Donald Trump’s account.
However, it’s not really Trump’s account. Neither he nor his team set the account up. MeWe did. The account can be followed by MeWe’s real users. It displays a feed of Trump’s tweets on Twitter in real time.
There are unofficial MeWe accounts like this for the New York Times, the NFL, Fox News, HuffPost, and even the Onion.
On one hand, it’s good that any random user can’t set up an account on this social network and pretend to be these official outlets. On the other hand, it’s also beneficial to MeWe to fill up its site with content from platforms it's trying to take on to make it seem like there’s more activity on the site than there really is.
When it comes to MeWe’s real users, it may sound a lot like Parler, but it is a bit different.
For one, MeWe wasn’t founded as a social network for conservatives. It just became one and welcomed them with open arms. The right-wing surge on the platform was first noticed in 2019 after Facebook started cracking down on vaccine misinformation. Many different types of conspiracy theorists, such as the anti-vaxxers, started joining the site, likely due to the strong anti-Facebook rhetoric pushed by the site.
Now, MeWe is experiencing a boom just like Parler as pro-Trump supporters boycott Facebook and Twitter over their anti-misinformation policies in the aftermath of Trump’s defeat in the election.
It should also be noted that unlike Parler, MeWe does have users who aren’t conservative. It’s not even all about politics like it is with Parler. There are MeWe groups for supporters of the Green Party, groups for dog and cat lovers, and arts and music groups, to name a few. However, the most active users on the site seem to be there to discuss conservative politics.