The pros and cons of Parler in 2020

Parler was created over two years ago but it's only in recent months that the social media platform has grown exponentially. There are several reasons for this, the main being Twitter's tyrannical censorship problem and Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat's intense media marketing. Recently, it's become the topic of a lot of scrutiny over its apparent political leanings and right-wing user majority.

Originally garnering quite a few bad reviews, people have been giving the app a second chance recently. Is it time to switch?

Here's the pro's and cons of Parler in 2020.

The Pros:

1. Parler is an unbiased social media platform that doesn't allow censorship full stop. This is a big plus for a lot of people who feel their opinions are shut down on other apps. Parler allows for a lot more conversation on both sides of the political spectrum, letting people express themselves freely. Without a doubt, this is its most attractive feature for people.

2. Privacy is among the main reasons some users are giving Parler a try. A lot of people feel like they're being monitored on other social media apps and even outside of them. The site pledges personal data is kept confidential and “never sold to third parties”.

3. Parler lets you post up to 1000 words which is a big step up from Twitters 280 characters. To some this may seem like a small incentive but for many, its a must for getting their views out there. It's attracted a lot more people than most would think.

4. The app gives you regular warnings in the form of a point system if you are violating their guidelines. This gives you fair warning unlike other social media platforms who opt for the immediate and sudden ban.

5. Parler lets you limit conversations so only verified users (or non-verified) can comment on your post. This decreases the amount of trolls you have to interact with by a huge amount.

6. The platform houses a word filter which helps you avoid reading cruel or mean comments. The word filter stops offensive and coarse language, and you can choose particular words you don't want to read.

The Cons:

1. It's conservative leaning. This obviously may be a pro for some but for others, and for the sake of the apps purpose, this is a problem. Although the app was never meant to be political it has quickly garnered a large amount of right-wing users, abandoning the sinking ship that is Twitter in hopes of voicing their opinions free of censorship.

This is understandable; nobody wants to have their voice cut off but there is definitely a lack of left-wing voices on Parler, so it can feel very one sided.

2. The app can be pretty slow but there's no excuse for how god-awful the web versions' speed is. Notification takes ages as well as simply refreshing the page so I'd advise staying clear from the online version in general. Stick to the app.

3. The majority of hashtags have very little activity surrounding them so finding people who share your interests can be hard.

4. Parler's content is exceedingly political so it can prove to be more hassle than its worth if you're not interested in politics at all. That being said, it's the perfect time to build a following/community from the ground up, before the app becomes over saturated with members.

In short, Parler is flawed, just like any other social media platform but it does value free speech and puts your opinions first. You may not like what other people say on the app, but you will always be able to voice your own thoughts and opinions, without fear of being censored.

Despite the trolls, Parler does provide the space for conversation that the current political climate is in dire need of. On top of that, it's also a cool new app to help you garner a neat little following or grow your business.

And there you have it, the pros and cons of the ever-growing Parler.

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