“Say Anything. Stay Anonymous.” – This is perhaps the crux of it all!
Quora started it for me. Ask anything about anyone to anyone. And get the answers without anyone knowing who you are.
Secret App did bit more by letting people reveal their secrets anonymously and get views from similarly anonymous people around.
So is Leak and MailFrom.Me where you can send emails namelessly to any particular person.
What’s this thing with staying anonymous is the BIG Question being asked.
Leak’s creator, Lauren Desserrey said in an article that the purpose was to create a “really positive and exciting tool”. He added that it’s “really not what the product is about. It’s about saying the truth you’re ashamed to say.”
Few months before, I had started writing an article on being blunt, frank, straight-forward and quite honest in conversations to make world a real experience instead of a fake life that we get to live in. But I left the article in the middle realizing that it’s something that can’t be achieved. When I am myself not convinced enough, how can I propagate it. The reason of me being doubtful was the fear everyone had to be able to say what they really meant. Apart from hurting ones feelings, it can also sabotage any relationship to any extent. This is perhaps what lead many minds create platforms as mentioned above and add anonymity to the whole process.
When Lauren said that he wanted to create something exciting, he probably didn’t mean to invite people to abuse each other or say bad things about someone whom they probably would meet with a smiling face otherwise. Such apps, if you have ever used any, prompt people to rant about their office environment, say cheesy stuffs to colleagues, spread baseless rumours, talk non-sense about people’s life and sometimes make gross statements inviting equally coarse reactions.
If I look at the positive side, this allows people to say what they wanted to, ever since. In the anonymous world, they are free to pass on a comment which they were uncomfortable doing in front of that person or reveal a fact which could infact help someone positively. It’s good to be blunt, but when such things attract people who fail to fathom the after-effects of it, the purpose gets killed and even twisted for bad.
In an attempt to understand situations that tempt people to use these applications, I realized that it had to do with we being social animals and wanting to be known for good things and good deeds by people who surround us. So when we get to stay anonymous in a social setting, it brings the true person out of everyone.
Why Anonymous is a ‘hit’ trend is not anonymous though! But it’s crucial to know the thoughts of the start-ups who come up with such ideas. Though they have pretty good idea of how far it can go, these apps definitely add excitement and curiousness to your life. May be that’s the base upon which they get used or mis-used.
Here is my take on reasons why people love it. Do add yours. Why keep it a Secret! 😉
The article was originally posted here.
