Parler speaks as No. 1 downloaded news app in US

Our 2020 presidential election proved one thing: America is split half conservative, half liberal. The conservative half is fed up with Twitter and moving on. These users are tired of Twitter’s algorithms and corporate management regulating speech on its platform.

A 2- year- old Twitter- Facebook alternative has suddenly exploded to become America’s No. 1 downloaded news app. Parler, which is French for “to talk,” was set up to be a nonbiased, free speech- driven platform. While it’s supposed to be pronounced “par- lay,” the world has settled on “par- lour.”

Is Parler pro- conservative?

On its site, Parler says, “Parler is for the curious, creative, and objective individual. We are here for everyone that wants to have a dialogue from all sides.” While Parler was not established as a conservative- only platform, most users are right- wing.

Big names are on board with accounts. While President Donald Trump is not yet a member, Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric are. So is Rudy Giuliani and other conservatives such as Sean Hannity, Ted Cruz, and Mark Levin. News organizations including Breitbart, The Daily Caller, and The Epoch Times are active on the site, too.

How Parler is like Twitter

Functionally, Parler is almost identical to Twitter. If you have used Twitter, jumping into Parler is nothing. There are merely new icons and action words.

Instead of tweets, you have “parlays.” Instead of retweets, you have “echoes.” You “upvote” a post to show you liked it.

You can post GIFs, photos, and memes as well as follow accounts and use hashtags. Parler posts are almost triple the size limit as Twitter, or up to 1,000 characters. You can block or mute other users, too.

You create a profile when you sign up. Your photo, background image, and a short bio are available for other members to view.

There is the option to “Get Verified” that provides Parler Citizen status. This step requires you to use your webcam to take a photo of an ID card’s front and back. Then, you submit a selfie with your webcam.

Once approved, your profile will show a red Parler badge telling other users that you are a real person and not a bot. At this point, you no longer have to display your name publicly. A gold badge identifies public personalities.

You have to be at least 13- years- old to sign up and a phone number is required to verify accounts and users. At no time are you asked your political affiliation.

How Parler is different

Parler says, “Parler is for the curious, creative, and objective individual. We are here for everyone that wants to have a dialogue from all sides.”

Unlike Twitter, which regulates content shared on the platform using internal company policies, Parler bases its user guidelines on the Federal Communications Commission’s obscenity definitions. Strictly put, this asks whether a post “is sexual in nature,” “is offensive,” and “Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”

Parler relies on its users to report inappropriate content and posts that violate its guidelines. Verification is strictly community- driven.

Compared with other social media, Parler’s PDF privacy policy is straightforward. and spells out what they plan to do with the information they collect.

There is no advertising on Parler, yet. But their privacy policy states your data collection can be used.

I joined Parler last June. I’m probably not the perfect user, as I don’t feel a compelling need to interact or even visit Parler.

I’ve been purposefully limiting my time across all social media and finding the break incredibly refreshing.