Somewhere around the summer of 2013, Facebook had one of those sudden booms of app traffic. This time it appeared in the form of a predominantly anonymous question-answer app. The world saw an Ask.fm uprising in social media. But with people busy all day answering pretty much gibberish questions, the thought arises, is it really worth the time?
Ask.fm is an interest-based social Q&A website, launched on June 16, 2010 in Latvia. Around July, the company shifted focus -- and with a Facebook app enhanced it -- to reach out to millions of people worldwide. Today, Ask.fm has ballooned into a supervision-free digital space where teens (mainly) go to goof off. The majority of users are from the age group 13 to 25, while server database shows that over 50 percent are under the legal age of 18.
Lately Ask.fm has been used to find out info about a boy/girl from school or college, to flirt with someone, or at times unleash hate messages and bullying. Most teenagers currently using the app are about 13-15 and they are exposed to sexually provocative comments and statements. Moreover, the app has no filter to remove such comments or threats.
From a teenager's point of view, it's a fun place where new friends can be made. But how do you really trust a stranger.
Explanatory sample (from CNET) of questions and statements:
“Do you like me? Are you going out with Alex? Why is Sarah mad at Holly? Have you struggled with an eating disorder/ depression/ self harm/ suicidal thoughts before? Ti*s or a@# ? You're such a sl*#....”
There's worse. Much worse.
Along with these, private information such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat profile links are exchanged and at times even telephone numbers.
The biggest issue is perhaps bullying and hate messages which has led to even suicides. Fighting back might not often work out. A more mature approach is necessary, which might involve supervision.
Ask.fm might appear to be a fun virtual playground but danger lurks in its dark corners. Additionally, the immense time spent there could be unproductive. For the ones curious about the app but still want to stay safe, there is an option to turn anonymous questions off. Hopefully, more people would use these new apps wisely.