So given 68 million USA twitter users, if this rate continues, it wouldn't take long to get half the USA switched over. I am assuming most of the new users are USA. I suspect a fair number will use both systems for awhile. There could also be events like say a famous person moving over or being forced to move over that could result in even higher switching rates.

That assumes people use Twitter solely for politics. It's a social media app, people are on there to look at animal videos, celebrity gossip, answer dumb polls etc.

Parler's growth is happening directly due to the impact of the election, and Twitter adding disclaimers to claims of ballot interference. It won't continue at this rate, because besides political kinship, there is nothing there for users to do. Nobody enjoys the political zones of Twitter, unless they're 'dunking' on the opposition. On Parler, there is no opposition.

I don't think it's ominous. Different platforms serve different interests and demographics - some people want the barely moderated edgelord chaos of 4chan, most people don't.

What's ominous is the growing media separation between the two political sides leading to ever-increasing difference in worldviews. How can we negotiate and compromise when viewpoints are so diametrically opposed that no middle-ground can be made?

This. It’s already bad enough with segmented Twitter follower graphs and Fox News. Just imagine when they’re entirely walled off from one another

>I don't think it's ominous. Different platforms serve different interests and demographics

Split into two separate social networks dramatically increases the echo chamber effect.

e.g. on reddit someone from /r/conservatives might still interact with /r/liberals because they both have an interest in /r/succulents

They may not be speaking about politics but they're still interacting. If you're on two different platforms even that minor overlap falls away & that allows for the two to drift further apart and harden in their views

Why is it ominous?

I wouldn't worry. It's basically like a gigantic "always sunny in philadelphia" in there. People regular twitter could do without. I'm sure it would be funny to watch though.