If you follow either tech news or kids' digital media preferences, you've probably noticed the anonymity trend – including Whisper, Secret, Yik Yak and many others. Anonymity has raised plenty of concerns but it's likely not going away. It's part of the connectivity landscape now. Why do I say that? Because it seems to be a solution to and welcome relief from the last source of major … [Read more...] about The anonymity trend & self-presentation fatigue
anonymity
The app ecosystem & very public secrets
This is a sidebar to my two previous posts here and here. These are crazy times in the mediascape, and not just because of crazy valuations of startup apps. How do all these socially risky apps get out into the digital ecosphere? They don't take a lot of people, time or other resources to build anymore – not like digital media products and services of lore, anyway, as a recent NYT Magazine … [Read more...] about The app ecosystem & very public secrets
How Yik Yak is different from other social media
Based on news reports and conversations with educators about troubles with Yik Yak, the location-based anonymous texting app, at schools in many parts of the US, three scenarios leap to mind…. Remember that kid at school (or maybe that frat house) who felt the need or the pressure to set off the fire alarm to see what would happen, test the system, get attention or whatever social … [Read more...] about How Yik Yak is different from other social media
Significant safety changes at Ask.fm
Though Americans represent the 2nd-biggest population on Latvia-based social media site Ask.fm, they also represent only 10% of the activity on the site. But all 105+ million users will benefit from new safety measures the service has put in place, one of them being a new Safety Center, which includes a page with a clear description of how the site works. Based on recommendations from a … [Read more...] about Significant safety changes at Ask.fm
Whisper’s popularity no longer a secret
It's being said that the preference pendulum in social media culture is swinging back from transparency (as in Facebook) to anonymity (as in Whisper). And the growing popularity of the Whisper app – where users' posts are Internet meme-style photos overlaid with text (the app makes posting easy by offering up photos it "thinks" match your text, and you get to pick one). People can respond by … [Read more...] about Whisper’s popularity no longer a secret