Peeple was dubbed “the Yelp for humans” when it was announced back in October. And now it’s out and available.
The reassuring news it that its potential for damage (i.e. rampant cyber bullying) isn’t as high as initially thought. Actually, it’s virtually non-existent (at least for the moment).
The not-so-exciting news is that there really isn’t much of a point to the app, which launched in North America on Monday. Unless the world needed yet another way to self-validate or humble brag. Peeple allows users to rate other users in three categories: Professional, Personal, and Dating.
It sounds daunting at first.
In the wake of inevitable criticism when the idea was initially introduced, there have been some major changes to the app. Most notably, a person must consent before another user adds their profile to the app. Furthermore, users have full control over which reviews are posted to their profiles and can even deactivate their accounts at any time. The proposed five-star rating system has also gone out the door, having been replaced by a tally of the user’s (obviously all positive) reviews.
Odds are your profile will only be filled with glowing reviews about everything from how effectively you managed that major client campaign to how reliable of a friend you are and how you’re the best first date ever.
So, basically, it defeats the purpose of the idea behind a transparent rating site like Yelp, which displays both glowing reviews and lengthy rants.
According to Gizmodo, however, there are plans to roll out a paid feature (surprise, surprise) called a “Truth License,” which allows people pay to see every single review, not just the positive ones. When that happens, the app will more accurately reflect its self-proclaimed objective of making “character a new form of currency.”
And no, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
We live in an age of rampant social media shaming. Whether you rock a questionable outfit or have a moment of emotional weakness in public, there’s a chance you could unwillingly pay for it in a trial on social media. The positive news according to the founders is that reviewers will have to connect their Facebook account in order to comment. Meaning, the negative reviewers won’t be able to post anonymously. Of course, that won’t stop those disappointed or disgruntled users who feel the need to publicly rip others to shreds despite the presence of a personal profile.
Either way it will be interesting to see how this goes down – and how long the app lasts.
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