Why Parler Will Fail
On Saturday, November 7, major media outlets across the country finally agreed on the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election. Within minutes, something interesting started happening on my social media feeds (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok). People, a lot of them, were announcing that they were quitting the platform(s) and with one final, parting shot invited their like-minded friends to join them on Parler.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of Parler, you’re not alone. Here’s the elevator pitch for the platform, which was launched in 2018: Parler is billed as a place to “Speak freely and express yourself openly, without fear of being “deplatformed” for your views.” But that summary doesn’t tell the full story, because Parler’s founders intentionally built a platform for conservatives to call home. A place where they can hang out, make their voice heard, and share their beliefs openly.
This is not a post about politics, it’s about why this business model isn’t going to work.
Parler is unapologetically far-right leaning, but therein lies the problem.
Fail #1: The Recipe Is Missing A Key Ingredient
Imagine baking a batch of gooey, hot, chocolate chip cookies. You can almost smell the intoxicating aroma of fresh baked, right-out-of-the-oven, goodness, right? Your mouth is watering as you part your lips to take that first decadent bite…
Then…meh. They’re bland as hell. Maybe there’s not enough sugar…or you left out the salt. Salt may not be sweet on its own, but the contrast actually enhances the flavor and sweetness.
And that’s exactly what Parler is missing: the CONTRAST.
The reason people like talking about their politics on Facebook is that they have an antagonist. There’s contrast in their views. They want to prevail and to do that, they need an opponent. On Parler, they’ll only find an echo chamber. There’s no one to engage with, to debate, to oppose.
Parler is a platform for people with one opinion, with one voice, and with no dissension.
A platform with the same design for far-left liberals would have the EXACT same problems.
A social media platform that serves a community with just one voice becomes very boring, very fast!
The promise sounds good to their target audience, but at the end of the day, without dissention comes boredom. Boredom leads to lack of engagement. No engagement means no platform. Soon, people will jump ship as fast as they boarded it. Or…maybe worse…they’ll just stop logging in and stop talking about it.
Fail #2: It’s A Hobby Not A Business
I learned something at a Tony Robbins’ Business Mastery event a few years back. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many entrepreneurs don’t get it: if you don’t make money, it’s a hobby not a business.
Parler has committed being a platform with ZERO advertising. So, they have to charge people to use it, right? NOPE, it’s a free platform.
Ergo, they have no revenue, which means it’s not a business, it’s a hobby. Sure, they have angel investors who’ve funded them. But investors expect a return on their investment. What’s the ROI of $0? Let me do that math and get back to you.
Just like Quibi, the video startup that went from run to done in a matter of months (almost six for accuracy’s sake), Parler has made a noble attempt to create a bright new social network, one of value, one with a huge disenfranchised audience, but without a way to monetize their base, the future of Parler is looking dim.
And, just like Quibi, they’re providing a “solution” for a problem that doesn’t really exist…it just sounds great in a pitch deck.
Remember, a business that doesn’t make money isn’t a business.
Oh I finished the ROI math. That’s ZERO!