Are these the last days of Parler, the conservative alternative to Twitter?

This appeared in The Millennial Source

If Parler wants to survive, the most obvious path going forward is to follow the example of Gab, a social media platform that is notorious for its openness to white supremacists.

Mere months ago, the future of Parler looked bright. Launched in 2018 as an alternative to Twitter and Facebook, the platform experienced a surge in 2020 as waves of high-profile conservative politicians and celebrities recommended Parler to their loyal followers. For a time, it appeared as if the upstart social media platform might put a sizable dent in Twitter’s user base.

Then January 6 happened: a mob of pro-Trump insurrectionists descended on the United States Capitol in a violent attack that resulted in at least one police officer’s death. Footage of the attack shocked the nation. The political and legal repercussions were swift, with more still likely to occur.

President Donald Trump, who had extensively used Twitter throughout his presidency and was accused of encouraging the coup attempt, was banned from his social media platforms. Twitter, Facebook and other major platforms rapidly responded to the attack by banning people who were calling for more violence or spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.