Deplatforming did not decrease Parler users' activity on fringe social media

Area of Science:

• Social Media Studies
• Digital Sociology
• Platform Governance

Background:

• Online platforms increasingly ban harmful content and users.
• The effectiveness of deplatforming is questioned as users often migrate to alternative sites.
• Parler, a fringe social media platform, was deplatformed following the US Capitol riot.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of deplatforming Parler on user activity.
• To determine if deplatforming reduces overall engagement on fringe social media.
• To analyze user migration patterns to alternative fringe platforms.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal analysis of user activity across mainstream and fringe social media platforms (N = 112,705).
• Difference-in-differences analysis to establish causal effects on active Parler users (N = 996).
• Tracking user-level activity on desktop and mobile devices before and after deplatforming.

Main Results:

• Fringe platforms such as Gab and Rumble experienced growth after Parler's deplatforming.
• Overall activity on fringe social media increased while Parler was offline.
• Deplatforming Parler increased daily activity on other fringe platforms by 10.9-15.9 percentage points.

Conclusions:

• The isolated deplatforming of a major fringe social media platform was ineffective in reducing overall fringe social media engagement.
• User activity shifted to alternative fringe platforms rather than decreasing.
• Platform governance strategies need to consider user migration and the resilience of fringe online communities.