These apps are designed to hook users in. Anonymous chat app YikYak was shut down in 2017 after becoming littered with hateful speech – but has since returned.Īnonymous question apps are just one example of anonymous online spaces. NGL exploded in popularity this year, but hasn’t solved the issue of hate speech and bullying. On one hand, young people are hailed as pioneers of the digital age – and on they other, we fear for them as its innocent victims.Ī recent TechCrunch article chronicled the rapid uptake of anonymous question apps by young users, and raised concerns about transparency and safety. We now have a generation of kids growing up with the internet. They promise to offer the very things young people seek: opportunities for self-expression and authentic encounters. Anonymous question apps provide this space. And research has shown online anonymity enhances self-disclosure and honesty.įor young people, having online spaces to express themselves away from the adult gaze is important. This means they’re likely to present themselves differently online to their parents than they are to their peers.ĭigital cultures have long used online anonymity to separate real-world identities from online personas, both for privacy and in response to online surveillance. We also know they manage online disclosures of their identity and personal life through a technique sociologists call “audience segregation”, or “code switching”. These networks connect them with their peers, support their journeys towards forming identity, and provide them space for experimentation, creativity and bonding.
We know teens are drawn to social platforms. Screenshot/Google Play Store Why are they so popular? The app NGL is targeted at ‘teens’ on the Google app store.
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