Sarahah App: The Latest Anonymous Social Media

Sarahah has taken over social media. Every user of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are talking about this new app that allows users to send anonymous messages to others registered with the app.

Introduced by a Saudi Arabian developer Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq, the app doesn’t reveal the identity of the sender of the message at any given cost but users can choose to tag their identity. The idea behind the app is pretty simple. It allows anyone who has created a profile to visit other such profiles and leave messages anonymously. The messages will then appear in the inbox of the receiver’s app where the users can reply back to the messages, flag the message, favorite them or delete them. The app is available in two languages, English and Arabic for both iOs and Android users.

Sarahah, which was launched in June, has gone viral and was on top of the Apple App Store in over 30 countries in the month of July. It is also said to have as many as 300 million users already. According to their description on the Google Play Store, it helps people self develop by receiving constructive anonymous feedback. Sarahah, which means honesty in Arabic, was initially launched as a website with the idea to allow people send creative messages to each other including strangers who are on the app and those who are not.

An account can be set up by simply putting in a user name, their name, email id and by entering a password. Once logged in, users can share their Sarahah link which is usually their name followed by sarahah.com (www.xyz.sarahah.com) on any social media platform. The whole concept behind the app center’s around the idea of sending constructive random anonymous messages to the users. But the app also received flak for offering a platform that increases the risk of cyber bullying and negative comments as the app is extremely popular with the teenage crowd. The app’s most popular feature, anonymity gives people the chance to act out and behave in a hurtful way by sending unsavory and offensive messages to people instead of “constructive feedback.”

Several similar messaging apps like Yik Yak, Secret and Whisper that offer anonymity to the users have also been launched in recent times. Although the app is trending right now, fully anonymous comments open up avenues for bullying and the ability to cause more harm than good.