What is Parler social media site all about. Some say a trump platform others free speech to drive real news and let you have your say.
An interesting experiment or a real opportunity?
First of all Parler is a French verb meaning to speak, so somewhat appropriate to the situation.
But to be with the in group it is pronounced Par Ley
It was started by John Matze in August 2019 and it is now billed by some as a competitor to Twitter.
It has been assumed by many that Twitter and Facebook are over censoring content and there is an opportunity for a free speech site.
This has been emphasized by Donald Trump a huge user of Twitter and the voters dislike of his politics.
Where do you get Parler
You can log in on the Internet or download an app from the iTunes store all completely free of payment or obligation. It is quick and easy to look around and become part of change.
You will get some interesting views on the world stage.
Parler is promoted as an American free speech site
Is there really free speech or is it rapped in legalities. There is no place for hate, race or gender bashing however there should be a place for honest opinion.
The honest opinion has been lost for any opposition to the current hot topic that is deemed to be the correct or a proper way forward.
The vocal minority that are championing a cause can brook no words of opposition cloaking all such replies as an attack on the subject. As an example was the rise of Gay Marriage.
Whilst many Christians and Muslims, as examples, opposed this change, being against their moral standards their voice was lost in the demand for change, the minority overpowered the subject.
I am not leaning either way in the subject other than to point out where free speech can be controlled.
This is a very sensitive subject but we should have the right of opinion whether we agree or not.
A tweet today 26 June 2020
Charlesjohnson@Charlesjohnsonwork·11 hours ago·208k
Five years ago I was suspended from Twitter
You laughed at me.
Well you’re not laughing now are you?
This has become the normal when we have an opposite point of view.
Again this is not necessarily my opinion I use it only as an example of censorship.
The US republicans have logged into Parler.
There is a belief that Twitter is censoring The President and this has created a shift in support to Parler as the media of choice.
Certainly several republican candidates use it very well to put their opinion to the masses.
People like Candice Owens has become very popular with echos of her posts. (Echo is similar to a twitter retweet) going viral.
Endless reports from American newspapers and lots of people to follow however it may lean a tad pro Trump
It is easy to join and use however there are reports it is a bit flakey, I have found no problems so far.
Is Parler worthwhile?
As an Australian it provides me with more information into American politics and their social issues however it has not yet influenced me to become a political commentator.
John Matze in a recent interview suggested it was a community forum free from interference. No banning people as both Facebook and Twitter have recently done.
There is a trend for high profile personalities to move away from Twitter as reported today .
Fed up by what they perceive as political bias and increasing censorship from Big Tech, a growing number of right-wing media personalities, pundits and politicians have begun to switch over to Parler, a Twitter alternative that markets itself as a champion of free speech.
Although launched in 2018, the migration to Parler, dubbed “Twexit” by some, has been given extra impetus in the last few weeks.
This is driven largely by Twitter's ongoing and very high profile spat with President Donald Trump over incendiary tweets. A company's decision to hand permanent bans to popular pro-Trump accounts, like British white nationalist Katie Hopkins.
Hollywood news
Parler social media still a small player.
The minnow and the whale
With just over a million subscribers Parler is dwarfed by the 330 million subscribers on Twitter. I am sure the likes of Trump won't take an exclusive move because of the real audience numbers.
Facebook and Twitter have come into a lot of discussion re data security and overt censorship in recent times and these facts are scaring a lot of subscribers.
Parler is getting the coverage in the world media so there is indeed some chance, however small, of growing into a real competitor.
I have said that Twitter when rebroadcast has the greatest effect for the sender.
I use as an example Donald Trump my favorite sender because every tweet is rebroadcast in the press. This increases the exposure many time over and obtains a massive comment chain on a simple tweet.
Furthermore Trump has spent an estimated us$20 million this year on Facebook adds and the campaign is just starting. That's a chunk of advertising to lose.
In fact an echo release today listed many that are moving to Parler because of a dislike for twitter.
However it is still a very long way to catch up.
Conclusion
For those seriously into hard nosed discussions this is looming as a place to be. It is very US centric at this time although it was reported that:
[2] Parler said its user base had more than doubled in June 2019 when around 200,000 accounts from Saudi Arabia signed up to the network. This was following allegedly them suffering mass censorship and suspensions of accounts on Twitter.[3] Parler described these accounts as part of the “the nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. Twitter had deactivated hundreds of accounts that pushed talking points favorable to the Saudi government, describing them as inauthentic accounts in an “electronic army” pushing the Saudi government agenda.
For those that follow Twitter perhaps this is a viable alternative to push your point of view with a real understanding you wont get banned..
In a recent interview with Matze he was asked about hate speech and similar strategies. He replied simply that is illegal, you must follow the laws, therefore you can't go that way.
It is about real opinions that matters.
I have not endorsed the product nor rejected it. Supplied for your information only.
However I love having an opinion.
About
Thanks for the Parler presentation. Now I find out about his existence. It seems an interesting place if you can express your opinion freely. However, for now it seems to have a fairly small number of subscribers and I think this is due to low advertising. Probably in time the number of subscribers will increase, as the world, disgusted by fake news, finds out about its existence.
Thanks Carmen,
This is one of a few startups that want to tackle the Twittersphere but with a bit of backing.
I think the US elections will give it a big boost.
We shall watch and see.
Peter H