The Sarahah app: What is it and why is it so popular? here is everything you should know

 

From secret crushes to horrible bosses, people are always wishing for ways to vent on someone without breaking the status quo in real life. Well, help is here.


The Sarahah anonymous messaging app provides a platform to search for users, express one's feelings much easily and anonymously, and end it there.


It was designed as a self-development app, but with the increasing numbers of cases of cyber-stalking and trolling it remains to be seen if this app, which has been making waves in the last few days in India, is the best thing for iOS and Android users.


Remember Orkut's testimonials? Where a friend can post what they feel about us and we are left feeling good for the rest of the day? We did see this concept used in sayat.me, and maybe a few more websites. But if the feedback is negative, could be from anyone, it could hurt users with anxiety issues. On the plus side, it could open us up to learn about our areas of improvement. Users can block senders if they receive an offensive comment.


Fortune.com reported in July last week that Sarahah had rocketed to the top of the charts, becoming the most popular free download from the U.S. iOS App Store, and the second most popular free app on Google Play.


The app was created by a Saudi programmer, Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq, who said the site had garnered more than 270 million views and 20 million users in just a few weeks, according to bbc.com. Tawfiq said that though he "did not at all" expect the website to become so popular so quickly, he was happy with how things turned out.


The Sarahah app is available in Arabic and English.


Here are answers to 5 questions that you might be having about the Sarahah application.


1. Who can write to your Sarahah account? 

 The crucial aspect of Sarahah is to enable users to leave “constructive feedback” for others. On the app, you can look for people by simply searching. If a user wants to read comments from a person, the option is set by default within the app. However, this option is limited to just the people who have a Sarahah account. Also, you can also remove your name from the search option and instead copy and share your Sarahah account link with your friends from whom you want to get anonymous messages.


2. Can you follow users on Sarahah? 

 The app logs comments you have received, sent and favourited. That’s the closest you get to a “follow” option if you want to continue sending feedback to a user. Currently, there’s no way to respond to a message, but according to Sarahah’s website, they are “studying this option.”



3. Is Sarahah similar to Ask.fm? 

 Sarahah follows a long line of social networking apps allowing its users to leave anonymous comments or ask anonymous questions. In some cases, users might share a screenshot of the message or question on another service like Twitter and Snapchat, then leave an answer.



4. What’s the deal with Sarahah and cyber bullying?

  Here’s where the anonymity of Sarahah becomes not so fun: people can sometimes be mean. Several reviews on Apple’s App Store cite a lot of the bad comments as a reason for giving Sarahah a weak rating. While cyber bullying has been considered a serious issue on social media, an anonymity gives the trolls, even more, the power to shame.



5. Should you use Sarahah? 

 Sarahah is supposed to be a fun app which lets friends or colleagues know their irritating public habits. But these things can quickly spiral out of control. The internet still remains a place which brings out the worst in people and with anonymous messaging, there are grave risks attached.


Sarahah might remind some of the apps like Secret, Whisper. The truth is that receiving rude messages will be a harrowing experience for most. While the app talks about giving ‘constructive feedback,’ remember even anonymous messages can hurt.





Source:TheHindu