The Return Of The Anonymous Social Web

[Lil Red]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/06/24/the-return-of-the-anonymous-social-web/

 

selected portions of the article quoted:

 

“With all the social platforms–Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin–the core motivation there behind content publishing is ego and vanity,” says Heyward. “Let me show you the best version of me. Only the really good stuff. We felt there was big whitespace on the Web around giving people a place to share express themselves more freely. It’s the ability to share a lot of that content that they may not normally share.”

 

 

The app’s popularity is driven by the authenticity of the messages. “People crave authenticity. They don’t connect anymore,” he says. â€Whereas on Facebook you compare yourself with my highlight reel. Here it’s all behind the scenes. There’s a shared experience.”

People can “like” (it’s a heart icon) the Whisper or reply publicly with a Whisper of their own. The community on Whisper is heavily engaged. Many of the popular Whispers get thousands of hearts. Users can also chat with the person privately (though again, identities are not revealed).

The chat functionality has been very popular, Heyward says. Each day there are millions of private messages sent. And 20% of messages started more than two weeks prior, which means people are engaging with others over a long period of time and getting to know them. And more than 80% of messages are within 20 miles, indicating that often people are chatting with others in the same community. (They can find Whispers that are nearby in the “Nearby” tab.)

“These shared secrets–that really resonates with a lot of people,” says Jeremy Liew, venture capitalist at Whisper investor Lightspeed Venture Partners, which also was an early investor in Snapchat. “These real conversations start to happen. It’s a new form of mobile social media that is quite antithetical to what Facebook stands for.”

 

[Gabriela]

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I think it could be really good, because too many people really do suppress who they are. This gives them opportunity to share those things they are too ashamed to discuss with their superficial, fair-weather friends. And it shows the world how very similar we are in our sufferings. And our joys.

 

On the other hand, I fear it could turn into a den of iniquity. You know, like:

 

"I cheated on my spouse. What now?"

 

"Oh, dude, I'm sorry. Hey, it happens to the best of us. Don't beat yourself up."

 

"What's to feel bad about? A little sumpin on the side doesn't hurt now and then. So long as you love her."

 

...

 

That kind of thing.

[Apotheoun]

I really hate that Google is trying to get people to use their real names on Youtube. I have no intention of changing my Youtube user name and will close my Youtube channel if it is required to do so.

[Gabriela]

Aha. I recognize this now. My university has its own version. Most of which is filled with raucously obscene sexual boasts.

[Gabriela]

DP

Edited June 27, 2013 by curiousing

[God the Father]

Aha. I recognize this now. My university has its own version. Most of which is filled with raucously obscene sexual boasts.

 

99% of which are certainly fabricated. Along with anonymity comes a complete lack of credibility--a circumstance which kind of tarnishes that "authenticity" they're promising.

[ChristinaTherese]

Aha. I recognize this now. My university has its own version. Most of which is filled with raucously obscene sexual boasts.

Mine does too. Actually, I think we have more than one. I don't know how to get to any of them, though, and I've never really tried either.... :idk: Edited June 27, 2013 by Christina Thérèse