Antisocial Media?

- Peeple logo and slogan.

Have you ever been out on a date with someone terrible? I mean really terrible? Like they were rude to the staff at the restaurant and kicked a puppy? Have you ever thought to yourself: I wish I could warn other men/women out there to stay far away from this person?

Starting November of 2015 you can. With a new app called Peeple.

Is your doctor a wonderful person? Perhaps your landlord has a heart of gold? Perhaps you have a teacher you really admire or a lawyer who saved your life (and finances)? Perhaps you want to let the entire world know how wonderful this person is?

Now you can. There’s Peeple.

Maybe you have an ex-boyfriend who hurt you. Maybe letting others know he broke your heart will make you feel better. Maybe a college professor gave you a failing grade. You want to broadcast how unfair that was. Maybe your mechanic overcharged you, or a hair stylist messed up your cut. Maybe you lent money to a friend and they disappeared with your cash. You want to vent.

You can. With Peeple.

So what is Peeple?

Peeple is a new application that will be launched in November of 2015 (initially in the Apple Store for iOS devices; an Android version is expected to follow shortly thereafter). Think of Peeple as a “Yelp for People”. You will be able to “rate” people you know, either professionally, personally or romantically. You will also be able to share your “review” with others, and a search option will let you find people with ratings in your area.

You have to meet certain criteria to be able to rate a coworker, partner, date or friend:

• You have to validate your Peeple account using your phone number.

• You have to have a Facebook account.

• You have to be at least 18 years old to use Peeple.

• If you decide to give someone a negative “review”, it will not be posted right away. The person will be notified, will be able to read your review, and the two of you will be given a certain number of hours to resolve your issues. Perhaps after this time you will decide not to post your negative review.

The Internet Reacts to Peeple

Not surprisingly, people’s reaction to Peeple was a bit… unfavorable (to say the least). Reactions ranged from petitions to ask Google and Apple not to enable Peeple, to suggestions that the app is an "unfathomably cruel" idea that has caused "many to be frightened and anxious" of possible outcomes. We’ve all read crazy Yelp rants written by unsatisfied customers complaining about silly details. Now it seems that someone has invented a “Yelp for People”. Does that mean that we will soon be reading similar rants about human beings? Because I am a human being – not a product or a restaurant. You cannot grade me on a scale of 1 to 5. You cannot describe me in a sentence. I have my good days and my bad days.

Has social media gone too far? Has it, in fact, become antisocial media? Do the benefits of the app (i.e. avoiding a terrible date or a dishonest friend) outweigh the potential damage a negative review can have on a person’s reputation? Are we ready to hear both positive and negative reviews about ourselves, knowing that these reviews can be shared, looked up, searched? Are we ready to write such reviews, knowing they might unleash suffering? Are we ready to take responsibility for our actions?

I, for one, will be very curious to see how the future of Peeple unfolds.

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