The past week and a half has been an interesting one for those who are conservative and use social media heavily.
Many have begun to flock to a social network called Parler in the wake of the 2020 Presidential election, and the app has seen a huge surge in downloads.
Parler was downloaded more than 4 million times following the announcement by the major news media that Joe Biden had won the election against President Donald J. Trump.
The app topped both the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store and has continued to gain traction within conservative usership since.
There are several reasons for this trend. Parler has many of the things that are popular on other social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and the service also has less strict policies in regards to what is shared within its network.
Parler has features similar in that users can post text or images along with their thoughts just like other social media outlets do. There are ways to vote “approval” on these posts as well as “echo” them, much like how a retweet works on Twitter. Conservatives have flocked to the platform because it “does not remove content based on politics or ideology”.
There are some differences between Parler and Twitter, however. Parler does not have a “discover” or “trending topics” feature and users have to search on their own to find accounts they want to follow.
The social network does have a few rules, though not nearly as many as their more established counterparts.
Parler calls for users to not post anything that is against the law as well as to avoid posting any spam.
The growth has come as conservatives continue to raise questions about the election results and also after Facebook and Twitter have cracked down on groups, posts, and hashtags related to things like the “Stop the Steal” campaign and other controversial topics.
The social network is not new and was created in 2018. It already has gained some traction among notable conservatives like Senator Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Nikki Haley, and many more.
It is also important to note that President Trump will be treated differently by Twitter, especially, once he is out of office. Parler might greet him with open arms if he has issues with the platform this January.
Now, the non-enforcement of any filters to fight misinformation has led to a massive exodus for some from established social media outlets. Many conservatives have been using the hashtag #Twexit to mark their shift to the service.
The app does have a few restrictions though that are worth noting. One details how users can actually be billed if there are losses or damages which are connected directly to content posted via Parler.
Another is that there are warnings put in place for those who have their content reported. Anyone who is reported enough will then face a “jury portal” and can receive what is known as “violation point” notices on the service. Having too many of these can even lead to accounts being banned.
Another issue with the service is the sheer amount of graphic, violent, and profane content there. It may be OK with some, but as the service continues to grow it will inevitably have to have some sort of policies in place to make it a worthwhile place of engagement.
Another thing to consider is how the battle in Congress over Section 230 will play out. This is an important law that could dictate where free speech and accountability go on the Internet in the near future.
