Whisper Is The New Craigslist
There's a new social media app taking the Millennials by storm, and it's called Whisper. The concept is as simple as the internet itself used to be, say whatever you want under the guise of anonymity. Think of it as the anti-Facebook, you don't share your real name or have a profile picture. In fact changing your username is as easy as hitting the edit button. It seems like a good idea until you dig into the idea a little bit more and find out what people are really using it for. What was once a brilliant concept for shy people to express their inner most feelings, has turned into a knock off of Craigslist.
When you first open the app, you'll find the "Popular" page. That is the 'Whispers' with the most hearts and replies to them. Most of the time it is family friendly with a few cracks thrown in at Donald Trump and other politicians. It really seems harmless, who hasn't made cracks about a public figure that they don't like? It's an everyday part of life. Of course there are other posts on there, like 'I just got married' or 'My baby was just born' but those things fall under the "Family Friendly" category. However it's a much different story when you swipe right to the 'Nearby' screen.
The local page seems to be the one where everyone tries to hook up or at least makes very sexual suggestions. Near Detroit one of the first ones that show says "I like older men... If you remind me of Dad that is so attractive!" There are many more along similar lines, including a series of posts stating that the Whisperer wants to have sex with a family member. That is enough to throw red flags everywhere but it's not the only cause for concern with this app.
There are multiple posts from married men asking for a "side piece". While it's not surprising that men want sex, what is disturbing is that these are being answered by people who see nothing wrong with hooking up with a married man or woman. Asking for affairs is a two way road, as married women are also asking for a young, hot stud to take her mind off of whatever is troubling her. Again cheating isn't the surprise here, it's the openness with which it is being done. Sure anonymity means that the culprits probably won't be found out, but on both sides of the fence, why get married if you don't want to be with your spouse?
How does any of this relate to Craigslist? When you first go to the webpage, you are greeted by seemingly nice website with none of the seediness that its reputation suggests. That is until you go to the Personals page and are greeted with the same index of hardcore sex and innuendo that is found on Whisper. One could argue that the two are aimed at very different markets but that doesn't change the comparison at all. Honestly all it shows is that if you outgrow one pervy internet based site, there is another one to fall back on.
Do you use Whisper?
© 2015 EdAnderson