It seems like the article is a build up to some interesting investigations about the purpose and benefits of these platforms and then it just ends. Kinda disappointing because this is just an...
It seems like the article is a build up to some interesting investigations about the purpose and benefits of these platforms and then it just ends. Kinda disappointing because this is just an overview of information we already knew.
Then came the January 6th Capitol attack. Parler had been rife with calls for violence leading up to and during the insurrection, and in keeping with the platform’s “free speech” ethos, most had been allowed to stand. Apple responded by removing it from the App Store; Google later followed.
By May, Parler had fired its CEO, shored up its content moderation practices, and returned to app stores. But, as Sara Fischer reported in Axios last week, the thrill appears to be gone. According to data from Sensor Tower, Parler downloads went from 517,000 in December to 11,000 in June. It’s part of an overall decline in the popularity of alt-platforms — and in conservative media generally — since former President Trump left office.
I’m also beginning to wonder if all these apps are their own grift in a way. Loudly launch a site no one will ever use, claim it’s a free speech sanctuary for Republicans, do the rounds on all the right-wing news outlets, and wait for it to fill up with the worst people on Earth, refuse to moderate it, wait for Apple to ban it from the App Store, and then go back to the right-wing news outlets and screech about liberal cancel culture impacting your ability to share hentai with white nationalist flat earthers or whatever.
Apps like Parler and Gettr offered their conservative users an attractive mirage: a free-speech paradise where they could say the things they couldn’t say elsewhere. It never seemed to occur to anyone that such a move would only select for the worst social media customers on earth, quickly turning the founders’ dreams to ash.
I’m confused. What’s the grift? Doesn’t a grift involve the perpetrators making money (or getting something) in the end? How do they make money when the whole thing blows up and they have to shut...
I’m confused. What’s the grift? Doesn’t a grift involve the perpetrators making money (or getting something) in the end? How do they make money when the whole thing blows up and they have to shut it down? I can understand Parler, at least, because if they had been successful they would have overthrown the government. But after that failed, what would anyone get out of doing the same thing? They don’t appear to be making money through sign-ups or advertisers, and as mentioned they can’t keep moderate subscribers for very long. So what do they get out of it?
It’s similar to the dysfunctional govt grift of Republicans of yore, who would underfund and undermine government undertakings so they could later point out how dysfunctional government is and...
It’s similar to the dysfunctional govt grift of Republicans of yore, who would underfund and undermine government undertakings so they could later point out how dysfunctional government is and persuade people to privatize it.
Here, you build something so nasty it gets removed from app stores, so you can say the left wing tech is oppressive and get twitter and facebook opened back up to you.
Didn't Parler run a crowdfunder to raise funds to get new hosting after they got kicked from AWS? Also it's easy to ask for donations to help "own the libs" or whatever. I'm not sure if they did...
Didn't Parler run a crowdfunder to raise funds to get new hosting after they got kicked from AWS?
Also it's easy to ask for donations to help "own the libs" or whatever. I'm not sure if they did though.
I'd be lying if the thought of scamming the idiot-right hadn't crossed my mind in various forms from websites, crowdfunding campaigns (like the guy who did the 'build the wall' one), up to and including launching a Republicoin or similar crypto scam.
I had the same thought, calling it a grift is a leap. It gives the parlers of the world too much credit. They saw user and engagement numbers spiking and thought that was pretty cool. They went...
I had the same thought, calling it a grift is a leap. It gives the parlers of the world too much credit. They saw user and engagement numbers spiking and thought that was pretty cool. They went with it, it predicably crashed and burned. Just another bad business decision.
It seems like the article is a build up to some interesting investigations about the purpose and benefits of these platforms and then it just ends. Kinda disappointing because this is just an overview of information we already knew.
I’m confused. What’s the grift? Doesn’t a grift involve the perpetrators making money (or getting something) in the end? How do they make money when the whole thing blows up and they have to shut it down? I can understand Parler, at least, because if they had been successful they would have overthrown the government. But after that failed, what would anyone get out of doing the same thing? They don’t appear to be making money through sign-ups or advertisers, and as mentioned they can’t keep moderate subscribers for very long. So what do they get out of it?
It’s similar to the dysfunctional govt grift of Republicans of yore, who would underfund and undermine government undertakings so they could later point out how dysfunctional government is and persuade people to privatize it.
Here, you build something so nasty it gets removed from app stores, so you can say the left wing tech is oppressive and get twitter and facebook opened back up to you.
Didn't Parler run a crowdfunder to raise funds to get new hosting after they got kicked from AWS?
Also it's easy to ask for donations to help "own the libs" or whatever. I'm not sure if they did though.
I'd be lying if the thought of scamming the idiot-right hadn't crossed my mind in various forms from websites, crowdfunding campaigns (like the guy who did the 'build the wall' one), up to and including launching a Republicoin or similar crypto scam.
They get invited to be on Fox News to rant about the youths, and what more could you ask for?
I had the same thought, calling it a grift is a leap. It gives the parlers of the world too much credit. They saw user and engagement numbers spiking and thought that was pretty cool. They went with it, it predicably crashed and burned. Just another bad business decision.
Was just about to post this (Platformer version) but you beat me to it. ;)
/noise
GMT strikes again!