YOLO: Anonymous Questions

About

YOLO: Anonymous Questions is an application which is used as an add-on feature in Snapchat. Users may use the app in Snapchat Stories to allow friends to comment or ask questions anonymously.

History

On May 2nd, 2019, YOLO^[3] was launched by creator Gregoire Henrion of Popshow and quickly took the #1 spot for most popular in the App Store. The app is was only made available for Apple users. In an interview with TechCrunch,^[1] Henrion said, "It was not supposed to be a success. It was just for us to learn. Let’s just put it on the App Store and see how people behave. It went 100% viral. It’s crazy. Even we didn’t believe our eyes when we saw that [it went to #1].”

Features

On May 9th, 2019, YouTuber Davison (DavisonVideo) uploaded "Yolo App Tutorial And Review" which outlined and demonstrates the simple features of the app (shown below). The video gained over 10,900 views in a week.

Although the app policies state that there will be no tolerance for inappropriate behavior, many reviews in the app store reveal that there has been little or no action taken by YOLO when a inappropriate message has been sent.^[2]

Highlights

The Independent^[4] reported that National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)'s Andy Burrows said:

"Apps such as Yolo that allow anonymous comments could be easily misused to send abusive or upsetting messages. Snapchat should justify how this app meets their duty of care to children. It's essential that the Government brings in an independent regulator that will have the powers to make tech companies consider the risks that their services present for children."

Parenting site, Offspring^[5] states that, "The rating is too low at 12+. Do you know many 12-year-olds who consistently make great decisions over the long haul without accountability? Neither do we." On May 14th, 2019, CBC News aired a report on the cyber-bullying dangers of the app (shown below).

Traffic

The YOLO app has received a 4.6/ 5 rating out of 121,760 ratings made in the App Store in two weeks. The App gained the #1 position in the free social media apps category within a week.

Search Interest

External References