Trend Of Anonymous Apps Could Spark Increase In Social Regression

Red and Black › Savannah Levins

The rise in anonymous applications has some people wary.

Apps, such as Yik Yak and uMentioned, allow users to post completely anonymously. No longer does every opinion have a face, and it has never been easier for people to hide behind technology.

Lauren Scott, a junior psychology student from Chicago, said although college students may not always take anonymous postings seriously, the growing culture of anonymity could be dangerous.

“Adolescence is a time of change for a lot of people, and one way they combat that change is by putting down others,” she said. “Because people are so vulnerable, you could see an increase in suicide or people trying to hurt themselves. It gives people the opportunity to hide behind a front without repercussions.”

Jennifer Berger, the UGA campus representative for uMentioned, said the anonymous social media mobile app based out of Canada has had 400 downloads at the University of Georgia as of April 4.

Christopher Travers, the American marketing head for uMentioned, said that just because there’s a “wrong” way to use anonymous apps doesn’t mean they should be discouraged.

“With things like Facebook and Twitter we create this model of how we want people to see us. We monitor what we post and what we like and how we look,” he said. “But we’re bottling up this other side of us — the real side. You can never truly be yourself without being able to be anonymous.”

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