Tooter – New Kid on the Block – India’s ‘Swadeshi Andolan 2.0’?
Tooter is a new social media platform that was launched in July and seems to be a crossover between FB & Twitter.
Tooter is a new social media platform that was launched in July 2020 and seems to be a cross-over between Facebook and Twitter. The social media platform has now garnered attention for calling itself the “Swadeshi Andolan 2.0”.
Tooter seems to be modelled after popular microblogging platform Twitter, and like the latter has tweets, one can post ‘toots’ on Tooter. The platform also seems to have influences from US-based platform Parler, which is also modelled after Twitter with the aim of promoting “free speech.”
The symbol of the platform is a blue conch.
WHAT IS TOOTER?
The ‘About’ page of Tooter says: “We believe that India should have a Swadeshi social network. Without one we are just a digital colony of the American Twitter India Company, no different than what we were under the British East India Company. Tooter is our Swadeshi Andolan 2.0. Join us in this Andolan. Join us!”
Tooter in its Terms of Service page stresses that the platform has been created for “free speech”. Tooter, it says, will make best efforts to ensure that all content moderation decisions and enforcement of terms of service “does not punish users for exercising their God-given right to speak freely.”
In order to sign up on the social media platform, one has to go to the website tooter.in, put your email ID and create a new username and password. The app is also available on Google Play Store.
WHO ALL ARE ON TOOTER?
Tooter appears to have some prominent users such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, actor Abhishek Bachchan, Sadhguru, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) handle, and cricketer Virat Kohli, all of whom have verified profiles on the platform.
However, none of these users have verified to the media if they have actually created an account on the site or if the content was sourced directly from Twitter as LiveMint has alleged could be the case.
WHAT CAN YOU DO ON TOOTER?
Once again, this is similar to what one can do on Twitter. Users can have a profile, make lists, peruse their news feed and, of course, toot.
There’s also Tooter Pro, for those who wish to pay Rs 1,000 and upgrade. However, it is yet unclear what the paid version offers.
Reportedly, once an account is created, you are followed by a bot account called “News” as well as the account credited to Tooter’s CEO (@Nanda), both of which appear to have been created in June 2020. Before a user follows any accounts, the default news feed is populated with posts from the “News” bot.
HOW HAVE TWITTERATI REACTED?
Tooter appears to have been active since July, but has recently gained attention, with several memes comparing it to Twitter doing the rounds.
(With inputs from The Indian Express, Livemint and NDTV)
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