Anonymous Social Media
http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/21/technology/candid-anonymous-social-network/index.html
Many startups in the past have tried to create anonymous social media apps to no avail. When given the freedom to say whatever comes to mind with no repercussions, people tend to be rude and abusive to one another. But on the other hand, there is a certain level of censorship when people have to use their real name on social media. In order to find the middle ground, an app called Candid plans on giving users freedom to discuss anonymously in groups. The app lets anyone create a group on any topic, similar to how hashtags work for Twitter. As great an idea as that sounds, the issue still remains that most anonymous social outlets do not gain enough popularity to be sustainable.
The inherent problem with a lot of the failed attempts to create an anonymous social app is the lack of ties with one another. Normal social media is reliant on the connections of its users, and yet anonymity essentially relies on the opposite – a lack of connections. When one person uses an app, and spreads the word to his or her friends, then the popularity of that app grows. Some social media platforms like Facebook take advantage of this by requiring users to add their friends within the app. This relates to the material in class on triadic closure: if two people in a social network have a common friend, then there is an increased chance they themselves will be friends. This means that current social media relies on not only the current friendships of its users, but also on the ability to form new ties.
However for anonymous platforms, the general goal is to avoid having ties with anyone so as to have more freedom of speech, and to avoid offending people (and the consequences of that offense in real life). So unless the problem of interconnectedness is solved, the chances of a successful anonymous social app is slim.