Gettr
Gettr (stylized GETTR) is an alt-tech social media platform and microblogging site targeting American conservatives.[7][8] It was founded by Jason Miller, a former Donald Trump aide, and was officially launched on July 4, 2021.[9][10][11][12] Its user interface and feature set have been described as very similar to those of Twitter.[13][14]
The platform experienced issues shortly after launch, including internet trolls posting content that violated the terms of service, users flooding it with pornography,[15] and the brief hacking of some high-profile accounts.[16][17][18] Journalists have observed the prevalence of extreme content on the platform, including racism, antisemitism, and terrorist propaganda.[19][20][21]
By November 2021, Gettr said it had almost 3 million total users and almost 400,000 daily average users.[22] As of February 2022, the company said that its number of users had increased to 4.5 million.[23] According to market intelligence company Sensor Tower, as of February 2022 there have been 6.5 million global downloads of the Gettr app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.[23]
Background[edit]
After the United States Capitol attack of January 6, 2021, several social media sites banned Donald Trump from their platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.[13] Platforms also suspended some Trump supporters and others who were sharing conspiracy theories and extremist content. These actions led to an outcry from some American conservatives that social media sites and Big Tech were deplatforming or shadow banning them.[24]
After the bans, Trump began to look for alternative outlets,[14][7] eventually creating his own blog to share similar content to what he had previously posted on Twitter. After poor reception, he closed the blog shortly after its launch.[13][25] Jason Miller, then Trump's senior advisor and spokesman since 2016, for several months teased plans by the Trump team to create a social network of their own.[26]
History[edit]
In June 2021, it was reported that Miller had left Trump's team to become CEO of a tech startup.[13][27] A beta version of Gettr launched on July 1, 2021, after being added to the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in mid-June.[14] The platform can also be accessed via the web.[28] Gettr officially launched on July 4, 2021.[9][29] Miller is CEO,[9] and former Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh is a media affairs consultant for the company.[30] Miller said of his motivations for creating the site, "People were being de-platformed and realizing that the tech giants, so to speak, had [decided] to ally themselves with the more left-of-centre folks, who want to silence people all over".[31] The term "Gettr" is believed by some critics to be code for "get her".[32]
Gettr is a privately held company.[33] Miller has said the company was financed by a "consortium of international investors" including a foundation tied to Guo Wengui, a Chinese businessman and dissident[34] with connections to former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and Mar-a-Lago.[30][2] Guo has said he is an adviser to the platform.[2] Media sites tied to Guo have suggested that the platform and its logo were his ideas, though Miller has downplayed the connections.[35] The Daily Beast reported that Gettr was a retooled version of Guo's Chinese internet app, Getome, created by Guo's Chainnov, which Miller confirmed.[30] Getome accounts were wiped before relaunching as Gettr.[36] Miller has said that Guo did not invest money directly and has no official authority within Gettr,[33] but his connection and influence were exposed in March 2023.[37]
On the day of its beta launch, Gettr had several thousand users.[38] There was some initial confusion as to whether the platform was funded by former President Donald Trump.[14] Bloomberg reported that Trump would not be joining the platform, nor would he have any financial stake in it, and that he was still planning to create a platform of his own.[39] On July 4, 2021, the day of the platform's official launch, Miller stated that it had "more than half a million users".[17] According to estimates from Sensor Tower, Gettr received 1.3 million downloads globally between June and July 2021, with the United States and Brazil having the most downloads.[40] In August 2021, it was reported that Trump was considering purchasing equity in the platform,[41] and as of mid-August 2021, Miller said he still aimed to draw Trump to the platform.[42]
The platform was briefly hacked on its launch day. Some high-profile Gettr accounts, including those of Miller, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, and Bannon were compromised and had their account names changed to show the name of the alleged attacker and a message supporting Palestine.[43][18][44][40] A few days later, a hacker was able to scrape almost 90,000 email addresses through their application programming interface (API).[43]
As of November 2021, Gettr had almost 3 million total users and almost 400,000 daily average users.[45]
On December 28, 2021, Gettr laid off its entire security and information technology teams, which included 13 staff members, Gettr's chief information officer (CIO), and Gettr's chief information security officer (CISO). None of these employees were replaced. Three former Gettr employees blamed Guo Wengui for the layoffs.[46]
In January 2022, Gettr gained half a million new users[47] with the joining of Joe Rogan, physician and immunologist Robert Malone, and the Twitter suspension of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.[45][47] On January 3, 2022, Gettr gained 341,000 new users.[48] Rogan announced his Gettr registration on Twitter,[49] and told his 7.8 million followers to join him on the new platform. By January 4, Gettr had more than 540,000 new users since Rogan's registration.[47] Politico reported in July 2021 that Gettr users can import their list of followers from their Twitter account to be displayed as their Gettr followers, which also creates Gettr accounts for those followers.[50]
Platform[edit]
Gettr has been described as a conservative social media platform.[7] Gettr described itself at launch as a "non-bias social network", and bills itself as an alternative to mainstream social networks, writing in a mission statement that its aims include "fighting cancel culture, promoting common sense, defending free speech, challenging social media monopolies, and creating a true marketplace of ideas".[13][14] The name is a portmanteau of "getting together",[2][9] or "get together".[72]
Gettr's user interface and feature set have been described as very similar to those of Twitter,[13][14] with some journalists describing it as a "clone".[19][73] Users can write posts on the platform of up to 777 characters in length, upload images, and upload and edit videos that are up to three minutes long.[9] Users can repost other users' posts, as well as explore a feed of trending topics.[13] Some users can import their content from Twitter and mirror their Twitter feeds on Gettr.[74] The platform also includes the ability for users to be verified.[7] The app is rated "M" for "mature" in app stores, meaning it is recommended for those 17 years of age and older.[13] Miller said that the platform plans to add monetization via a "tipping" feature, livestreaming, and a platform to facilitate political donations.[9] Technology journalist Kara Swisher described Gettr in an episode of the podcast Pivot as easy to use and as "a cleaner Twitter", but said "it suffers from a lot of misinformation".[75]
