The internet began as an anonymous place. Chat rooms asked us ‘a/s/l’ and I’m sure I am not the only one who pretended to be a completely different age, sex, and location than I was. There was something about trying on a new identity.
As social networks using our real names came into play, it was harder to be anonymous. Your potential employer or your mom could be looking at what you just said or shared.
It was only a matter of time before the internet cycled back, recoiled from too much sharing. Apps and websites where you can be anonymous have come back into popularity.
We’ve previously blogged about YikYak but there are a couple of other anonymous sites to know about:
Whisper
So this network combines anonymous with location data. So you can share your secret thought and other people can like or comment… but you can also see other people’s secrets that are near you (1 mile radius, 5 mile radius, etc.) The secrets range from silly to serious:
Something about having the image with the thought makes them stand out a bit, nice to read on a mobile device. And since this is an app, that makes sense.
Reddit is a bit of a longer form social network with writing and links. You can see what’s trending overall by going to the homepage:
The more interesting part of Reddit though are the subreddits. For example, you can join a community about Game of Thrones (at www.reddit.com/r/gameofthrones) and discuss you interest in this show in detail with people all over the world.
Clearly works well if you are more verbose, or want to share a link and get comments on it.
Some people chose to have an active anonymous account while others use ‘throwaway’ accounts for a one time confession.
Anonymous social networks are similar to regular social networks:
- Typically ordered by most recently updated content
- Can participate on your phone only for some, others you can access on your computer too
- You can like/heart/upvote things that you like to show support
- You can leave comments for more detailed feedback.
Of course, sometimes anonymity brings out the worst in people in the way of cyberbullying but honestly, in these communities, I have found mostly support for my ideas too weird or dark to share on regular networks. (I know it’s sad but I used to be a little nervous to go on Reddit but, much like staying away from the seedy streets in your city, is a nice place for the most part of you don’t go searching for the bad stuff.)
As we figure out what is and isn’t acceptable to share with our real life friends on social media, I see the popularity of these sites growing. I personally love Reddit because there’s no real ads, no messaging, and I can just browse information… and contribute when I feel like. Personally I appreciate that because of the internet, there is a lid for every pot.