Parler was elated about his purchase of Kanye West. Then the problems started.

“Master [Kelli] “Ward is not active on Parler and hasn’t opened the app in over two years,” said Kristi Donnell, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Republican Party. “We have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The episode and subsequent confusion — a company spokesperson refusing to answer questions about who compiled the list and the criteria behind it — left Parler a headache during what should have been a festive time. Since its creation in 2018, the site has tried to position itself as a champion of free speech, recruiting Donald Trump aides and conservative superstars with the promise of being the social media’s quintessential weightlifter for the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

But the unintended email raises questions about how large Parler’s influence will be as Ye prepares to buy it, given that the VIP list included public media titles and some were out of date or non-existent. It also provides a window into the often chaotic nature of the conservative media ecosystem, in which a variety of different platforms compete for audience share and dominance in the industry by catering to a narrow group of influential conservative figures and convenient editorial barriers.

The Parler platform has become a haven for Far-right posters and anti-Semitic content. In early 2021, it was banned from Apple and Google stores after the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill, and in order to returnThe app has made changes to moderate its content.

But she struggled to build an audience. According to Likeweb, an analytics company that specializes in web traffic and performance, Parler’s rank compared to other platforms popular with conservatives is decreasing over time. It saw just over 1.2 million visits in September, compared to GETTR, with more than 7.1 million, Trump’s Truth Social, with more than 8.9 million, and another conservative site, Gab, with more than 12.8 million.

A Parler spokesperson said the site had about 16 million registered users prior to the announcement of Ye. But according to data analytics company Apptopia, it only has 40,000 daily active users. And that pales in comparison to the 237 million daily active users on Twitter, according to the company Latest Earnings Report.

Eric Wilson, managing partner of Startup Caucus, a tech investment fund for the Republican campaign, said the problem facing Parler was not unique to that platform. Sites built around political communities generally have difficulty building the so-called “network effect” created by sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. That’s because the vast majority of social media users don’t go to the platforms to talk about politics. “So these focused networks of people who want to talk about politics basically create a choral room,” Wilson said.

“The idea of ​​a conservative political social network alone will not take off,” he added. “And I hope that entrepreneurs and investors put their money into more efficient projects.”

Part of what has contributed to the common problems of its audience is Parler’s lack of star power and the user base that Trump and his family bring to the platforms. Trump did not join Parler, although Yi did Conversations with the former president about doing so.

In Trump’s absence, there is hope that Ye himself can play the role of a star power. An account of the rapper – who is currently mired in a scandal A series of anti-Semitic statements Which led to his comment on Twitter and Instagram — he appeared on Parler on Monday. By Thursday, he had over 29,000 users following him. He was a small part of his 31 million Twitter followers. His first “parliament” sent Wednesday afternoon, quoting a Bible verse that says, “Romans 8:31: “So what shall we say to these things?” If God is with us, who is against us? He later posted a video of the “2024” hat, hinting at a possible presidential run.

A person familiar with Parler’s business said the company has been looking for a buyer since it went public Acquires cloud service provider Dynascale, and that it was creating a new parent company, Parlement Technologies, Inc. Its focus is on cloud technology.

“Parliament has always been exploring strategic opportunities for all of its brands and continues to do so,” a company spokesperson said.

When Ye’s acquisition plans were announced, Parler’s outreach team sent a VIP email with the title “Ye + Parler.”

The recipient list included a number of emails whose identity was impossible to know. But it also included emails to MAGA media stars such as Charlie Kirk and Jack Bosobek; Trump global figures such as Kimberly Gilfoyle, Brad Parscale and Dan Scavino; And other names including Eduardo Bolsonaro, James O’Keefe of Project Veritas, Michael Flynn, Dan Bongino, and Dana Loach. Politico has reached out for comment from these individuals. Flynn’s email bounce back.

Also on the list were GOP deputies, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Michigan Gov. candidate Theodore Dixon, Representative Elise Stefanik (Republic of New York) and the public press email addresses of several other members of Congress.

The email text described the recipients as having “golden badge accounts” and informed them of Yi’s plans to purchase Parlement Technologies. The communications team reassured the recipients that “Parrer’s core mission will remain the same” and pledged to keep the lines of communication open.

“As a Gold badge account, you will continue to connect with the same outreach team. Our VIPs are an invaluable part of the Parler family and its expertise,” read an email signed by three members of the Parler “Outreach Team.” “We appreciate all of your support and partnership in the fight for freedom of expression, and we look forward to your participation in this huge new chapter.”

But the outreach team forgot to hide the list of recipients. Or, at least, a full copy of it (the email obtained by Politico is arranged alphabetically and includes recipients only up to the letter J). By the end of Monday, the email had been forwarded within conservative circles. daily caller Also mentioned in the VIP list.

Several of the names listed in the email already have operating Parler accounts, including Kirk and Trump superfans Diamond and Silk. It appears that others have joined the site for research or circumvention purposes, including MSNBC’s Ali Filshi.

Many of the people on the email recipient list expressed surprise when told that they were a Parler VIP.

“I worked with and got in touch with Parler before the 2020 election. I got a badge because I was working in the media and they wanted to confirm that my account was to blame. [account] “To avoid impersonation accounts,” said Anna Polina Luna, the Republican congressional candidate in Florida. “I’m not familiar with the email you have but I haven’t spoken to anyone in the organization for a few years because I prefer instagram as my primary communication method and didn’t like the Parler interface.”

One Republican whose email was on the list said a representative of Parler called them at an event, urging them to use the platform more and informing them that they have VIP status with them. “The next thing I know is that I got an email saying, ‘Oops, so sorry. We’ve sent your email to everyone on our list.

It was just one of the many PR issues Parler faced after the company announced the Ye. On Tuesday, CEO George Farmer dismissed the repeated efforts of the Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney To say whether or not the platform will allow Ye to make anti-Semitic comments on the platform, saying Ye will ultimately be the “controller” when the deal is completed.

Farmer He told the Wall Street Journal, The conversation with Yi buying the catwalk began during Paris Fashion Week when his wife, conservative commentator and influencer Candice Owens, showed up with the rapper wearing the controversial “White Lives Matter” T-shirts. The Anti-Defamation League described the slogan as a “white supremacist phrase” created as a “racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement.”

“Yi is not only a music and apparel giant but, like Parler, has faced senseless and unnecessary censorship and cancellation by Big Tech. He shares Parler’s passion for freedom of expression and independent thinking,” Farmer said in a statement to users on Monday. Everyone can think, listen and speak freely. We will continue the struggle against censorship, the abolition of culture and despotism.”

Olivia Bevers contributed to the report.