Parler launched in 2018 as a conservative alternative to Twitter at a time when social media giants had just begun to suppress voices from the right. It launched with plenty of fanfare and considerable interest — I remember several family members signing up early on and using it excitedly for a while — but it never really caught on as a viable alternative to Big Social Media.
It didn’t help that the tech giants de-platformed Parler briefly in 2021. When news broke that some of the Jan. 6 organizers used Parler to rally supporters to the Capitol, both Apple and Google removed Parler from their app stores. That ban only lasted about a month, and it certainly didn’t help Parler gain a bigger foothold.
Still, there was some value to the platform. I used it to promote my articles, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to do so.
But now, Parler is no more — at least as we knew it. I first noticed the change on Friday when I logged in to promote an article, and instead of a social media platform, there was a press release.
“Starboard (Formerly, Olympic Media) announced today that it has concluded the acquisition of Parler, the world’s pioneering uncancelable free speech platform,” begins the press release.
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Parler’s new owners speak the hard truth about the idea of “conservative alternatives” to social media in the press release, admitting, “No reasonable person believes that a Twitter clone just for conservatives is a viable business any more.”
The press release continues:
Starboard is the perfect home for the Parler brand and its longtime loyal users. “Parler’s large user base and additional strategic assets represent an enormous opportunity for Starboard to continue to build aggressively in our media and publishing business. The team at Parler has built an exceptional audience and we look forward to integrating that audience across all of our existing platforms.” said Ryan Coyne, CEO of Starboard.
While the Parler app as it is currently constituted will be pulled down from operation to undergo a strategic assessment, we at Starboard see tremendous opportunities across multiple sectors to continue to serve marginalized or even outright censored communities – even extending beyond domestic politics.
Coyne founded Starboard, formerly Olympic Media, in 2018. Starboard characterizes itself as “a digital advertising and fundraising company” and already owns the conservative media outlets American Wire and BizPac Review. Additionally, Fortune reports that “Coyne is also the founder of the Working Warrior Foundation, a charity that helps veterans find jobs, and We the People Wine, which describes itself as ‘made for Americans by Americans.’”
What’s next for Parler? The press release cites new opportunities: “Advancements in AI technology, along with the existing code base and other new features, provide an opportunity for Starboard to begin servicing unsupported online communities — building a home for them away from the ad-hoc regulatory hand of platforms that hate them.”
So whether Parler returns as a social media platform — though surely not as “a Twitter clone just for conservatives” — it might be worthwhile. But if Starboard uses Parler as the genesis for more opportunities within a larger, more right-friendly communications and business ecosystem, the future could be exciting.
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