Conservatives and other political figures say they are shifting from Twitter and Facebook to Parler, with the majority laying out that they’re finished with Silicon Valley censoring them.
“Hurry and follow me at Parler. I may not stay at Facebook or Twitter if they continue censoring me. And one day I’ll have left their platforms. Parler is a wonderful alternative and is growing, and we need you there ASAP. It believes in truly open speech,” conservative radio show host Mark Levin said Wednesday morning.
The calls to move to Parler, which prizes itself as a platform for free speech, have been ongoing in recent months due to censorship and were reignited during the 2020 presidential election last week.
Parler jumped to the top spot for most popular free apps on Apple this weekend, beating out TikTok and YouTube.
Conservatives and political figures have rallied support for the shift, while providing why they are leaving Big Tech platforms, with the overwhelming majority saying they no longer want their posts flagged and censored.
Twitter is flagging my question: Your government sent 1.1 million dead people stimulus checks. Wonder how many of these folks also voted absentee?
So, now it is unacceptable to pose questions?
Follow me on @parler_app and prepare for the day twitter silences debate.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 11, 2020
It’s official, I’ve joined @parler_app! Find me at @GovernorNoem.
We need social media platforms that respect and protect FREE SPEECH. We need a whole lot more respect for Freedom and Personal Responsibilty in this country.
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) November 9, 2020
Just FYI, a lot of people have asked me about joining Parler. I did set up an account there under @alexberenson – whether I wind up using it will depend on Twitter’s censorship (and how many followers I get).
— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) November 11, 2020
Uncensored and unfiltered, come join us on Parler -> https://t.co/6LMuvnPyhO pic.twitter.com/9iPicAzGMM
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 11, 2020
This is the same group who abused power in 2016. I will be leaving soon and going to Parler. Please open an account on @parler right away.
— Maria Bartiromo (@MariaBartiromo) November 6, 2020
Noteworthy: Twitter says this post has received 48,000+ impressions here. Yet this same post on Parler, where I have 70k FEWER followers, received 38,000+. https://t.co/ycg7O8quJ5
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) November 11, 2020
I now have 27,000 followers on Parler. (@talkmaster). When I reach 50,000 I’m shutting down my Twitter account. Leave this wasteland for the left and Jack’s butt-buddies.
— Neal Boortz (@Talkmaster) November 11, 2020
Twitter limits my podcast show announcement but, ?, Parler doesn’t.
Twitter gave me 13 retweets, 3 comments, and 1 quote on Twitter with 8K impressions
Parler gave 194 shares, and 97 interactive comments and reaching 37K impressions. pic.twitter.com/ntP5qj7CK2
— Wayne Dupree Media, LLC (@WayneDupreeShow) November 11, 2020
Posts on Parler are reaching 40% more people than posts on Twitter where we have 150k more followers. Compared analytics on 10 posts made at the same time. Small sample size but enough to be encouraged about.
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) November 11, 2020
Parler was founded in 2018 and “is an unbiased social media focused on real user experiences and engagement. Our content is moderated based off the FCC and the Supreme Court of the United States which enables free expression without violence and a lack of censorship. Parler never shares your personal data,” according to the platform’s description.
Conservative commentator Dan Bongino announced a partnership with Parler in June, taking an ownership stake in the company, and has been at the forefront of urging others to join him.
“I’ve decided it’s time to fight back against the Tech Tyrants. I’m beyond fed up with the censorship and bias of Twitter and Facebook, and I’m not going to stand back and watch as they target us. As a result, I’ve taken an ownership stake in Parler, the hottest social media alternative in the market right now,” Bongino said at the time.
This weekend, he lauded others moving to Parler as a “sleeping giant” awakening as the app jumped to the number one spot among the most popular apps.
“The media and the anti-Trump lunatics have awakened a sleeping giant. We gave a collective middle finger to the tech tyrants as Parler remains the NUMBER ONE most downloaded app in the world. Thank you!” Bongino said Sunday morning.
Parler’s CEO John Matze spoke with Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo last week and said that during the election cycle, it’s vital to have “more transparency.”
“Once you start content curation and you start fact-checking, you’re introducing bias and I don’t think that there’s any perfect group without bias, so in terms of being a platform for transparency and free speech, they’ve gone way too far,” Matze said. “And in this election, we need more transparency and it’s really important.”
