‘Follow Me on Parler’ Is New Mantra for Users Aggrieved by Facebook
- Conservatives complaining of bias urge followers to shift
- Facebook allowing links to upstart app helps rival to grow
Frustrated conservatives, bristling at perceived bias against them on Facebook Inc.’s social network, have found a solution: moving to Parler, the app that reached No. 1 in downloads following Joe Biden’s win in the U.S. presidential election.
Parler Inc., which calls itself “non-biased, free speech social media,” may be the breakout platform emerging from the contentious 2020 vote. Ironically, Parler enthusiasts have relied on Facebook to spread the word about the alternative app, posting and spinning up new groups on its bigger rival’s site to promise followers and community if people make the switch. The upstart competitor has leveraged access to Facebook’s billions of users to catch on, and will need to keep doing so to grow fast enough to keep their attention.