not sure if this is a hot take or not but honestly, i don't think there's any malevolent reason, like weird telemetry or anything like that. i believe they may have wanted to make the effort look like it was grassroots and that the app was revolutionary, completely concocted by their brilliant engineers, so as to liberate the internet and let digital freedom reign.

the app was announced in time for Trump's SPAC, which was up something like 500% after the Truth Social announcement. i imagine that if they advertised the platform as a fork of an existing technology, "borrowing" an existing theme, and slapping some patriotic propaganda on top of it wouldn't exactly excite the market or entice usage.

i really do wonder why they didn't just create their own instance and celebrate the concept of federation? decentralization as a buzzword is so in right now, it really would have helped their case, i think.

ironically, TRUTH Social as a platform was created in the most disingenuous fashion. hopefully it makes people lose faith in these crooked people. unfortunately, it will probably not play out that way and people will continue to crown deceit as truth and sink further into their disillusion.

at times, i even feel pity for folks being led astray by a government that is supposed to protect their interests, but then i remember all of the awful things "truthers" have said to me about my skin color, my beliefs, etc and i throw away the idea of giving someone free empathy. which is a roundabout way to say, i hope this thing gets fucked into oblivion.