Parler Users Are Gathering on Facebook to Complain About Parler

‘Seeming more like social solitude than social networking so far’

Last month, supporters of President Donald Trump announced their exodus from Facebook to “free speech” platforms such as Parler and MeWe after Facebook banned a series of groups for promoting election fraud conspiracy theories. Within a week, Parler became the most downloaded app on Apple and Android devices, and its user base doubled to more than 10 million members, the company said.

But cutting the Facebook cord appears easier said than done, and fledgling Parler users are gathering in Facebook groups dedicated to the act of abandoning Facebook. There, users are complaining about Parler’s confusing interface and the loneliness of a platform that none of their friends and family use.

Thousands of supposed Parler converts have joined groups like “Parler Invite Group” and “Who is moving to Parler,” OneZero found. These were created as spaces for people to share their Parler usernames, find new acquaintances, and bemoan the moderation of far-right content on Facebook. (Some of the groups appeared before the November banning of “Stop the Steal” groups, reflecting how Parler has been courting conservatives for years.)

“I’ve talked to so many that can’t even figure out how to get on it,” another member posted. “They’re still on FB thinking they’re on Parler.”

“My Parlers appear but never get responses. Seeming more like social solitude than social networking so far,” one person wrote in the “Parler Invite Group,” which is private and counts nearly 8,000 members.

“I’ve talked to so many that can’t even figure out how to get on it,” another member posted. “They’re still on FB thinking they’re on Parler.”

“Can anybody help with this exasperating problem I’m having?! I can’t join the website at all because of the captcha loop at the beginning,” someone else wrote in the “Who is moving to Parler” group. The group is public and has nearly 5,000 members.”

It’s unclear whether Parler can sustain the explosive growth it saw in early November. Even its…