Sarahah app is going viral, and here is everything you need to know about it

 

There is a new viral hit on the web and it is called Sarahah. Haha what? Yes, that is the exact question millions of web users have as they see the Sarahah app popping up on their Facebook feeds. It is all over the place. You may have probably heard about the app already if you are on Facebook or Snapchat. 


It has become very popular, especially with the Facebook crowd that seem to be loving it. You may have seen tens of posts shared by your friends on Facebook about Sarahah. Wondering what is it all about? Let's get all your questions answered here.


Sarahah is an application which can be downloaded by both Android and iOS users. It is available on Google Play Store as well as on App Store. The app hit the Play Store only in February, and within just a few months the app has spread like wild fire and has managed to get over 50 lakh downloads already. 


The reason is simple: figuratively and literally. Essentially, there are two reasons why Sarahah app is going viral. One, it is a very simple app to use. All you need to do is sign up for it and then share your ID with friends, or foes for that matter. After that you will get messages, which come up in a simple and easy-to-read chat bubble. Posting messages is simple and the receiving them is simpler. 


But the big reason why Sarahah app is popular is because it panders to the narcissist within us. For a generation that has grown up on Facebook and Instagram, two more platforms that are essentially all about self-obsession, Sarahah provides an another outlet that help web users smart under the impression that the world revolves around them.


 By giving the sender an option to anonymously send a message, Sarahah allows a user to get the direct feedback from the world. It could be great feedback, bad, nice things or nasty messages. But all of them are about the user. No wonder the app is making the Facebook users go wow. But we get ahead of ourselves... Let's take a closer look at the app. 


 
What is Sarahah app?

Sarahah is an Arabic term which means honesty. This is an anonymous messaging app that lets people send messages to any random person if that person has the app installed. To find that person either you will have the link to that person's Sarahah profile or you can search for the profile through the user ID or email address. Although, given the anonymous nature of the app, the search functionality is not as good as what you get in Facebook or Twitter. So, for example you can't exactly search for Kamlesh Shukla and up on the Sarahah profile of Kamlesh who is your friend. 


Sarahah, back in February was introduced as a website by Saudi Arabian developer Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq. However, the developer it seems later thought that the service will work best as an app. That is when Tawfiq on June 13 released an app version of Sarahah on both the iOS App Store and Google Play. And as expected, it went viral.


The reason why the app has gone viral is because the receiver of the message doesn't even get to know the sender's identity. Basically, the message is sent anonymously. For instance, this is probably a great application to confess anything to someone which probably you can never say to them in person. Although, if you can't say something to someone in person, saying it anonymously is not a great idea irrespective of whatever it is. 



Is Sarahah app propagating cyber bullying?

However, if not used diligently, this app also has potential to be very risky. Some reports claim that a bunch of people have been misusing the application and using it as a means of cyber bullying.


Considering the fact that people have the freedom to send anonymous messages to anyone, there are reports that some people are misusing the app and are using it as a tool for rampant cyber-bullying. Though some users are taking this as a game and fooling around with friends, there are a bunch of evils eyes who are targeting the Sarahah app as a cyber bullying platform. They are sending threatening messages to people and literally bullying them.

The app was introduced just a few months ago and already there multiple cases of cyber bullying related to it. and pre-teens have reportedly been subjected to unsavoury comments and racist remarks in some instances. 


While on the other, people are using this application to going up to the extent of sending death threats. A review that was posted on Google Play reads, "My 13-year-old sister uses this and she got a death threat aimed at our 2-year-old brother." After such incidents took place, many parents have reported that the app and said that this is "the newest platform for cyber bullying".



How to use the Sarahah app?

Now that you know about the app and understand its risks, let's explain how you can use it.

 

First step to become a Sarahah user and fool your friends, and confess something to someone is to install the application. If you're an Android user, you can get hold of the app on Google Play Store, iOS users can download it from App Store. Upon installing the application, you now need to register with email ID, password, and name. You are now good to go. After creating an account with the Sarahah app, you can directly share the link to your Sarahah profile with Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform to let your friends know.


Now that your friends now know you are on Sarahah, they'll send you an anonymous message, and all you'll get to see is the message. There'll be no name, no information about the sender anywhere. 



Similarly, you can also send messages to your friends. You can only receive the message and can't reply to in anyway. However, it seems Sarahah will get that feature soon, as the websites state, "You can't respond to messages now. We are studying this option."



Note: The person you want to send the message via Sarahah must have installed the application. All you now need to do is type a message and send. This app is addictive. But, given that it is an app for fun, and should be used diligently without harming anyone.






Source:IndiaToday

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