Research/Study
Conservatives flocked to Parler to “speak freely” after the election. A month later, the platform has stalled as fewer people are actively using it.
Hundreds of prominent conservatives created accounts on Parler to “speak freely" and express themselves “openly, without fear of being ‘deplatformed'”
Published
Parler, a social media company that declares itself “the world’s premier free speech platform,” has attracted millions of users (including some prominent conservatives) supposedly seeking a more hands-off approach to content moderation. Although many conservatives and other like-minded users claim they are switching to Parler to escape supposed social media censorship on Facebook and Twitter, their enthusiasm appears as insincere and opportunistic as their inaccurate claims of widespread ideological bias. In fact, some of the largest Parler accounts use the platform to repeat narratives they still post on other social media sites, and Parler’s growth and user activity have recently slowed down.
Media Matters identified 236 Parler accounts associated with prominent right-wing and far-right figures with substantial followings on other social media platforms. We also included those who have been publicly banned from other platforms. We found that in that list some of Parler’s biggest right-wing accounts have earned more followers on Parler than on Facebook or Twitter, and they use Parler as another platform to spread narratives being posted elsewhere.
Key findings include:
- Since December 2018, at least 236 accounts have been created for prominent conservatives, right-wing media personalities, and far-right figures. Over 60% of right-wing accounts on Parler -- 149 out of 236 -- are verified by or affiliated/partnered with Parler.
- There are at least 17 right-wing Parler accounts that are verified and have over 1 million followers. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has the most followers, roughly 4.8 million, even though he created his account just six months ago. Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin also have large followings, with over 4 million followers each.
- Right-wing Parler accounts have earned millions of followers, and some of Parler’s biggest right-wing accounts have earned more followers on Parler than on Facebook or Twitter. There are six accounts that have over 100,000 more followers on Parler than on either Facebook or Twitter, including accounts of Cruz, Levin, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Sharyl Attkisson, and former Fox Business host Trish Regan.
- However, many right-wing Parler accounts with the most followers use Parler as another platform to spread narratives being posted elsewhere. Cruz barely posts on Parler, but his posts, known as parlays, often have the same content as his tweets, while Levin and Bartiromo post nearly all of their content to both Parler and Twitter.