Parler's Latest Reboot And Ownership
Even with their occasional glitches, including being offline for hours or several days at a time, there's something quaint about the smaller social media operations. I especially like Gab's creating an independent infrastructure, and commitment to freedom of speech.
I don't, however, get any warm fuzzy feeling about Parler's new ownership. From the official pronouncement [emphasis added]:
“Founded in 2018 by Ryan Coyne, Starboard (Formerly, Olympic Media) is a digital media conglomerate that houses business lines focused on digital advertising, fundraising, publishing, and consumer brands. The publishing vertical has expanded aggressively with several recent acquisitions amounting to several-hundred million engaged content consumers annually. Starboard was named the 13th fastest growing company in the nation on the INC 5000, and the fastest growing in advertising / media in 2021”
Apparently, Parler is gone for the indefinite future. From the announcement:
“While the Parler app as it is currently constituted will be pulled down from operation to undergo a strategic assessment...”
Well, that's one good way to destroy a company. Twitter and many others studied and then modified their platform's structure without missing a beat. Some of the smaller ones take an hour or two overnight to upgrade their software, no biggie and quite understandable. It seems odd to spend a lot of money to finish off Parler, a social media site that was dying anyhow after their cowardly response before and after the January 6th PsyOp (approved of by Nationalized Plutocrat Radio-NPR—no less!).
Are the new owners of Parler, as LBJ infamously said about Gerald Ford, incapable of farting and chewing gum at the same time?
I don't understand Kanye, but I was looking forward to seeing how he would have run Parler. Alas, that fell through.
So now, a few of us wait to see what condition Parler will be in following its next rise—or stumble and final fall—from the ashes. With several Facebook alternatives being well-established, first and foremost Gab, as well as MeWe, Gettr, Magabook, and Truth Social, what can Parler offer other than, "We too, really, we mean it this time"?
