What Social Media Managers Need to Know About Parler
I dove into Parler so you don’t have to.
You’ve probably seen Facebook posts from your right-wing relatives stating that they are leaving Facebook and going to Parler, the social network that claims to be unbiased and a promoter of free speech but is, in fact, a right-wing echo chamber that grants safe haven to white-supremacists, Qanon conspiracy theorists, and anti-vaccers. It’s been touted as the next big thing by Sean Hannity, Ted Cruz, and of course Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty, all of whom are some of the apps top users. It’s been referred to by its critics as “Meinspace,” “Fashbook,” and “Twittler.” I describe it as 4chan for boomers--a place rampant with hate speech, conspiracy theories, and alt-right propaganda.
It would be great to be able to just ignore it, but the app shot to the top of Apple’s App Store in the wake of the 2020 election and while social media managers should steer clear of this toxic network, they do need to be familiar with what it is and the basics of the app.
Here’s what you need to know.
Your brand doesn’t need a Parler account.
End of story. You could really just stop reading now. You don’t need to be there. Unless you are selling Trumpy-bears or truck nuts, being on Parler is only a negative for your brand. I shouldn't even have to say this, but at some point, you’ll probably have a higher-up or a client ask about the network and you’ll have to explain why it’s a bad idea. Feel free to send them this blog post if they don’t believe you.
The basics of Parler
Parler works a lot like Twitter in that you can follow anyone without them friending you and users are prompted to follow a list of right-wing politicians, commentators, and D-list celebrities when they first join. Posts are called “Parleys.” You don’t like content, you “vote” for it. You don’t share content, you “echo” it. That’s right, you “echo” it. Parler isn’t shying away from the fact that it’s a right-wing echo chamber, it’s a part of its official brand. It’s a feature, not a bug.
Search on Parler is a nightmare. You can only search for usernames or hashtags. There is no keyword search or way to filter by location. This means users fill their posts to brim with hashtags in order to be seen--and since search is filled chronologically, you have to filter through a ton of spam posts to find anything relevant.
You probably need to be monitoring Parler, but keep it minimal.
There’s a lot of concern that conversations that affect brands will happen on Parler; boycotts will be organized, protests planned, threats to safety, employees saying hateful and racist things. And for some brands, this might be a real risk. But chances are you’ll hear about it somewhere else as well. I’d suggest monitoring Parler if you catch wind of a possible crisis, but this isn’t a place you need to check into every day and even if you did, it’s unlikely you’d find much. And as we mentioned before, because of the limited search tools, it’s unlikely you’ll find much relevant to your brand.
Watch for brand impersonation.
I’ve already come across several brands that seem to have accounts on Parler but upon further inspection, it appears these were created by Parler users and not the brands themselves. The ones I’ve found are mostly sports teams and run by fans using graphics they’ve pulled from the teams’ other social networks.
While Parler claims to be “anti-censorship” they do seem to respect trademark and copyright and have a reporting system for trademark holders to report misuse.
It would be smart to check into Parler from time to time to see if anyone has created an impersonation account for your brand and file a report to have them removed. While I’ve yet to file a report with Parler for an impersonation account, I have done so with other social networks and the process is fairly simple. You can read more about that here.
It will probably fizzle out soon.
Like most new social networks Parler faces the challenge of a limited user-base. The average person isn’t going to leave Facebook or Twitter and exclusively use Parler. Parler users will keep their Facebook accounts for the same reason we all do...because that’s where everyone is. Right-wing boomers are still going to want to see photos of their left-wing kids and grandkids and they’ll have to go to Facebook for that.
Also, right-wing trolls thrive on having someone to antagonize. They’ll quickly bore of commenting “I agree!” on every angry Sean Hannity post and go looking for some “snowflake” to pick on.
Eventually, users will tire of the Parler echo chamber and stop going and the network will wither away. Until then, be aware of it but don’t give it any more time than you absolutely have to. Social media managers have enough on their plates to deal with and tear apart their mental health than having to check into Parler every day. Spend your time on something that’s actually helpful or productive.