Parler has had a tumultuous history and has been at the forefront of several scandals since its inception in 2018. Marketed as a social media safe haven for “free speech”, critics argue it was designed as a response to the perceived “censorship” of former President Donald Trump and his supporters. It cannot be denied that the app caters to a very bizarre and mostly right-wing demographic. The site is also a breeding ground for Qanon, the online conspiracy theorist collective, and is involved in an FBI investigation into the January 6th insurrection.
The app was pulled from stores like Android, Google, and Apple but returned to the Apple app store in May of 2021 after a new CEO had taken over in March. The new head of Parler was English-born conservative activist George Farmer. Since taking over, George Farmer has struggled to save the company, the app has yet to reach the membership numbers it had before going offline, which some allege was as high as 15 million users.
10 Who Is George Farmer?
George Farmer is a British Conservative activist, the son of a Tory lord worth over 100 million pounds. He donated 2 million pounds to the Brexit campaign and was the head of conservative think tank Turning Point U.K. His family made their money in land and metals trading and he is married to controversial conservative pundit Candace Owens.
9 George Farmer's Connection To Donald Trump
As the husband to Candace Owens, Farmer is also one step away from the former Republican president. Owens is a vocal Trump supporter and has interviewed and campaigned for the former reality star since 2016. He is literally one phone call away from Donald Trump.
8 What Is Parler?
For those who have forgotten, Parler is an app populated mostly by right-wing supporters of Donald Trump as a safe haven of limitless free speech away from Twitter. Its slogan is “the last place for free speech online”, it is essentially a niche social media app for people who are either banned on other apps or hate moderation rules. However, critics have pointed to times when Parler deleted left-wing and parody accounts.
7 Why Is Parler In Trouble?
The Parler was removed from several smartphone app stores because the site was implicated as a planning space for the January 6th insurrection multiple times. The app was also met with heavy criticism for being poorly designed and glitchy.
6 Parler's Bizarre Clientele
As mentioned above, the app has become an organizing space for the Qanon cult. In a bizarre turn of events, the app saw several users plan a mass trip to Dallas, Texas where they expected to see John F. Kennedy Jr. rise from the grave and make Trump president again. How Farmer is handling this type of publicity remains unknown, he has made no comment on the event.
5 Parler And The FBI
Parler is also involved with the FBI’s investigation into January 6th. While the app itself is not under investigation, the FBI is finding information on the site that is helping them to track down Trump supporters who stormed the capital to overturn the 2020 election. It was here when most of Parler's difficulties began; the app to date only has 2.5 million daily users compared to Facebook's 2 billion users and Twitter's 220 million.
4 Why George Farmer Might Be Out Of The Job
Parler has endured so much changeover and controversy that it might be beyond saving. Each CEO from Farmer on might just be a changing of the guards on a sinking ship. How Farmer can turn the bad PR attached to his company remains to be seen.
3 Candace Owens Has Got Legal Problems Too
In addition to all the issues facing the young social media site, Farmer might have some trouble at home brewing. Not only is he steering a struggling social media company, but his wife is in the middle of a few legal battles too. One such battle is with fellow conservative and failed politician Kimberly Klacik who is suing the commentator for defamation. No stranger to controversy or drama, Owens also gets into Twitter feuds constantly, much as Trump used to before he was banned from Twitter. Among her enemies are Harry Styles, Cardi B, and Noah Cyrus.
2 George Farmer's Past Controversies
Before taking over a controversial app and marrying a controversial conservative commentator, Farmer was involved in his fair share of implicating incidents. For example, In 2016 he ran for office on a ticket in support of the controversial Brexit referendum, which some argue was rooted in anti-immigrant racism.
1 In Conclusion
It seems that Farmer is still in control of the struggling social media app. Although Parler’s leadership went through a lot of immediate turnover between January and March 2021, Farmer remains in power. But the longer the FBI investigates January 6th, the longer Donald Trump's bad PR keeps up, and as long as their numbers remain so pathetic, the less likely it seems Farmer can save the website.