Snapchat have taken the decision to stop promoting the account of President Trump due to his controversial tweets. Engadget has reported that Snapchat has become the latest social media company to take action against the President.
Twitter has had long-running disputes with Trump which resulted in Ted Cruz calling for an investigation into the company. This came after Twitter decided to add fact check labels to Trump’s tweets and flagged him for breaking community rules.
Snapchat Take a Stand
Snapchat say they have made the decision surround the account of Trump to stop the promotion of violence.
A spokesperson for the company said, “we will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice”. Snapchat made the decision over the weekend in response to some of the tweets Trump sent out glorifying violence against protesters.
This does not mean the Trump can no longer be seen on Snapchat. Subscribers can still see his content as will those that search for him. However, Trump’s account will no longer show up “organically” for users. Therefore, he can no longer be found in the ‘for you’ section of ‘Discover’.
Snapchat has tried to differentiate itself from other social media rivals such as Twitter and Facebook. For a while, it has fact-checked political content unlike Facebook. Snapchat also heavily curates the ‘Discover’ section of the app which his different to the approach of competitors.
Trump Hits Back
Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale has responded to the move from Snapchat with force. He claims that the company is “trying to rig the 2020 election.”
He goes onto accuse the company of illegally promoting Joe Biden “engaging in voter suppression”.
Trump and his campaign spend a lot of money on Snapchat advertisements so relations falling down between the parties could be problematic.
The ads themselves will be unaffected by the decision my Snapchat but they will no longer provide “free promotion” to Trump.
This is another bold move by a social media company against the President. It is a courageous step from Snapchat considering the amount of money Trump spend on advertising on the app. As with Trump’s disputes with Twitter do not expect these arguments to go away any time soon.
Trump and his campaign have hit out hard at Twitter and Snapchat because of their actions in recent weeks. How this all plays out for the social media industry as well as the President in his campaign could be vital in how the sector looks in the coming years.