What to knowabout Parler, the right-wing social network
Parler, the social network that's become a refuge for conservatives frustrated by the moderation policies of Twitter and Facebook, is having a moment.
Actually, make that its second moment.
Parler was founded in August 2018 by JohnMatze and Jared Thomson, and it soon gained a reputation as a Twitter alternative, particularly for those who thought that platform had a heavy hand when it came to moderating the speech of conservatives.
In the spring and summer of this year, after Twitter and Facebook became more aggressive about cracking down on hate speech and disinformation during the presidential campaign, and in the wake of protests after the death of Houstonian George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, another exodus to the site began.
Matze published a “Declaration of Internet Independence” and began urging people to leave the more established platform, touting the #Twexit hashtag, a nod to the United Kingdon’s Brexit. While it has become a haven for conservatives who feel they’ve been treated unfairly elsewhere, the network’s operators say all are welcome.
The site now claims 8 million users (Twitter has about 340 million; Facebook more than 2.7 billion). Over the weekend it topped Apple’s free downloads charts in the wake of the election and mainstream social platforms cracking down on baseless claims of voter fraud.
If you’re interested in signing up for the service – it’s free – here are five things you need to know.
What does Parler look like?
Parler borrows a lot from Twitter, complete with handles that start with the @ symbol and hashtags to allow people to find topics that interests them. Users have a profile page with avatar and cover images they can upload for personalization.
Posts, which are known as parleys, can include photos, links to stories and web pages and text. You have 1,000 characters per parley, as opposed to the 280 in Twitter.
You can follow people, just as on Twitter, and their parleys then show up in your
feed. A Discover tab lets you see popular posts as they flow through the system.
You can comment on posts, or repost (called Echo) them to your own feed so your followers will see them.
Who’s on Parler?
There are a lot of stars in the conservative and alt-right galaxy on Parler, but whether they post a lot is another question. What’s also interesting is who isn’t there.
When you first sign up for Parler and you land on your home page – with a blank feed because you haven’t followed anyone yet – you’re presented with a list of suggested follows that are a who’s who of conservatism: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Fox News pundits Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, talk radio host Mark Levin, White House adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle and many more.
Conspicuously missing: President Donald Trump.
Many of the high-profile accounts joined earlier, and haven’t posted much since. Guilfoyle has posted once (besides the auto-generated first parley that’s created when you sign up). Carlson also is a one-timer (at this writing). Others, like Nunes and Hannity, post often.
Are there any rules?
Parler has an extensive User Agreement that contains many of the provisions that apply on most social networks – no posting of copyrighted material; Parler has a right to use anything you post; don’t try to hack
Parler; Parler has the right to remove any content and terminate your service; and you agree to receive communications from Parler via phone, email, text message or “other means.”
Its Community Guidelines document contains the spirit of speech on the platform: “Our goal is to provide all community members with a welcoming, nonpartisan Public Square. While the
First Amendment does not apply to private companies such as Parler, our mission is to create a social platform in the spirit of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
Last revised on Nov. 7, it contains just two principles that outline the rules of behavior and consequences. Parler will remove “content posted by or on behalf of terrorist organizations, child pornography and copyright violations.”
Parler allows the posting of “not safe for work” content, including nudity and adult sexual content, but expects its members to tag it as “sensitive,” which is supposed to keep it away from the eyes of those who don’t want to see it and minors.
More details on what is and is not allowed can be found at a link at the bottom of the Community Guidelines document – it’s not easily found anywhere else on the site. Among the other forbidden activities mentioned here: fraud, impersonation and “doxing” another user (posting personal or private information about them).
Users who violate policies receive points, assigned by a Community Jury, and if you receive enough of them you could be banned. A moderation dashboard lets you see your status on Parler.
Is it populated only by people on the right?
For the most part, those who regularly use Parler appear to be conservative, alt-right and far right. During its initial high-profile period in the summer, a group of liberal users of Twitter decided to test Parler’s waters. Many of them later reported they were banned, though it wasn’t clear exactly what kind of behavior got them kicked off.
You do find some nonpartisan organizations there. For example, the Houston Astros have an account, though it only has a few parleys and nothing since mid-summer.
Howdo I sign up?
You can access Parler via its website at www.parler.com. There are also apps for iOS and Android.
When you sign up, you’re required to include a phone number to which a verification code will be sent. You don’t have to use your real name in the sign-in process, but the phone number must be capable of receiving a text message.