Say hi to Sarahah, the anonymous messaging app ruining Snapchat for teens
You might not have heard of it, but Sarahah's a new anonymous messaging app blowing up right now. And it all's because of Snapchat's most recent update.
Not only that, but Sarahah's meteoric rise in popularity has also created a trend on Snapchat—much to the annoyance of countless teens.
SEE ALSO:How Sarahah became one of the most popular iPhone apps in the worldSnapchat's most recent update gave users the ability to post links in their snaps. Since then, Sarahah catapulted to the number one position in the App Store, beating the likes of Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and other major social networks.
Sarahah works by giving each of its users a custom URL. That URL then directs whoever clicks on it to that user's page. And on the page of that user (who, let's say, is you) anyone with the URL can leave messages exclusively about a topic of interest to most people: you.
And that's where Snapchat comes in: people are using Snapchat's new link attachment feature to upload screenshots of Sarahah messages they've received, and attaching a link to their Sarahah page.
Problem is: Snapchatters are already hugely irritated by the glut of Sarahah screenshots in their mates' Stories.
Francie Shaffer, 21, from Colorado, says she thinks it's "annoying" that people are posting screenshots. "When people first started using it, 99% of people's stories were the screenshots 'lol,'" says Shaffer. For Shaffer, Snapchat isn't completely ruined, but it's irritating that "every other person keeps posting the link to their Sarahah even if they've already posted it 4 other times that day."
Tweet may have been deleted
Matt Kelly, 16, from Laois, Ireland, says people are also posting screenshots of the negative comments they receive on Sarahah. He says it's "super annoying" because people are "looking for someone to say something controversial so they could screenshot it" and put it on their Story. "It makes people's Stories really long and then they're giving out when someone says something hurtful," says Kelly.
Sarahah screenshots are taking over Snapchat Stories.Credit: rachel thompson / mashableNineteen-year-old Malijah Rubin from Louisiana is completely exasperated with the constant screenshots of Sarahah. "Sarahah wouldn't be so annoying if people would just posted the link and went on with their day, but no, they want to post EVERY little comment they get for the world to see," says Rubin. She says that for the past few weeks, her Snapchat has been "blown up" with Sarahah screenshots which make her "believe the whole app is annoying."
Tweet may have been deleted
Dylan Miller, 19, from Georgia, U.S., says that every time he logs onto Snapchat there's a "90 percent chance" he sees someone posting something about Sarahah and asking people to leave them a message.
He says he's trying not to let things like that get to him, but he's finding it "kind of annoying" seeing that "3 to 4 times on my feed" instead of "stories that involve something interesting and have depth." Miller thinks it's just "another trend" that will eventually pass, which is why he's not letting it get to him.
A look at the Sarahah app.Credit: Rachel thompson / mashableSo, what do teens make of Sarahah in general? Shaffer reckons the app is a "spinoff of ask.fm," the anonymous messaging platform, which was popular when she was in middle school. "It's just a way for people to be able to expose their true feelings towards someone—whether it be negative or positive," says Shaffer.
Rubin says that Sarahah is "nothing more than Ask.fm with a different name." That's not exactly a compliment, given ask.fm's reputation as a platform for cyberbullying.
Tweet may have been deleted
Miller's own experience of ask.fm during middle school has made him reluctant to embrace anonymous messaging apps such as this. "I saw many hurtful comments and cowardly people writing degrading things behind a keyboard as if it was a way to get off," says Miller. "I feel if you wouldn’t say something to someone’s face you shouldn’t send it anonymously online for the person to see."
Given the lack of success of similar anonymous messaging apps like Yik Yak, Secret, Whisper, and ask.fm, Miller could well be right about Sarahah being a passing phase. Once the novelty wears off, teens' Snapchat feeds might one day return to normalcy. But, for now, they may just have to weather the storm.
Featured Video For You
Watch the first surgery recorded with Snapchat Spectacles
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
- Elon Musk's AI facility is reportedly operating gas turbines without a permit
- 做王瑛式纪检监察干部
- Young voters’ turnout rises by double digits
- N. Korea says 'no interest in denuke talks' as long as South
- Trump won't stop making a deceptive bird claim. Experts debunk it.
- A Journey Into the Mind of Stephen King
- Murky future for Sewol committee as deadline looms
- Benzema can create legacy in UCL final
- Reagan refused to support Korean constitution in 1985: dossier
- The OLED Burn
- 'The Bachelor' just announced a 'dramatic' line of signature wines
- 5 browser extensions that can save you time and money
- We have hundreds of ways to DM, but are we really saying anything?
-
24 Museums Dedicated to Black History
TheNational Museum of African American History and Culture opened in Washington, D.C., in 2016. It q ...[详细] -
N. Korea threatens 'revenge' on Cheong Wa Dae if defectors are not sent back
North Korea on Sunday called for the repatriation of North Koreans who defected from a North Korean- ...[详细] -
雅安日报讯 昨28)日,市纪委、市监察局联合举行“做党的忠诚卫士,当群众的贴心人”主题演讲比赛,14名来自全市基层纪检监察系统的参赛选手在演讲中表示,要深入学习实践科学发展观,做王瑛式纪检监察干部。 ...[详细]
-
雅安日报讯 近日,天全县企业雅安隆生农牧有限公司的山地鸡项目被列入四川省科技贷款项目,将获得1000万元科技贷款。 由四川省科技厅组织省内有关畜牧专家、财务专家组成的专家评审组,到隆生公司的良种繁育 ...[详细]
-
21 Caves That Offer Otherworldly Experiences
Millions of caves can be found worldwide, many of which are home to flora and fauna that are uniquel ...[详细] -
North Korean leader back in Pyongyang, visits war cemetery
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends celebrations for the 66th anniversary of the Korean War Armi ...[详细] -
Antoni from 'Queer Eye' holding a wombat is the purest thing we've seen this week
This is One Good Thing, a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happ ...[详细] -
雅安日报讯 昨28)日,市纪委、市监察局联合举行“做党的忠诚卫士,当群众的贴心人”主题演讲比赛,14名来自全市基层纪检监察系统的参赛选手在演讲中表示,要深入学习实践科学发展观,做王瑛式纪检监察干部。 ...[详细]
-
广州市白云区供销联社携手6所院校15支队伍,加力提速推进“百千万工程”
广州市白云区供销联社携手6所院校15支队伍,加力提速推进“百千万工程”_南方+_南方plus今年以来,广州市白云区供销联社与6所院校15支突击队结对,依托下属区级助农服务综合平台和镇村级助农服务中心, ...[详细] -
Benzema can create legacy in UCL final
MADRID:Real Madrid's Rodrygo was asked on Tuesday what was the best piece of advice he had been ...[详细]
Carbon neutrality law violates basic rights: Constitutional Court
Mourinho revels in more European glory
- It's Unnecessary But, AMD Is Basically Lying About CPU Performance
- 第七届全省“创业之星” 我市5名企业家榜上有名
- We have hundreds of ways to DM, but are we really saying anything?
- Tottenham land Croatia international Perisic
- 'Black Myth: Wukong' PS5 review in progress: A potential masterpiece
- Apple may launch wireless AirPower charger in March
- The Samsung Galaxy S8 rumored to be removing the headphone jack