Imagine a world where you could review you friends, family and enemies, thereby attaching a glowing endorsement or a scathing condemnation to their name. That is what the recently announced app Peeple sets out to make possible. The app which is often described as a Yelp for people has been met with heavy criticism over the last week. In the court of public opinion the verdict is that Peeple is a poorly thought out idea which could have terrifying implication if it were to take off. Truthfully, that conclusion is probably right. Millennials already deal with at least a perceived lack of genuineness amongst themselves. This app would put people under constant scrutiny, and cement a culture of wearing masks.
Panic shouldn’t set in just yet. The app is hardly past the conceptual stage, and even if the Peeple app has a successful developmental phase that does not mean it will catch on with the larger public. That said, there are quite a few red flags that should be mentioned if this app were to become a hot trend in spite of the criticism it has received thus far. You cannot opt out of being reviewed, all a person needs is your telephone number and you are up for internet scrutiny. Furthermore, it appears that negative reviews that do not violate their “integrity features” will be permanent even if the person being reviewed disputes it.
Opinions by nature are a matter of perspective. They are also fluid and subject to change. A fair share of bad ideas have come out of Silicon Valley, but the Peeple app is one of the most stomach churning. If the app ever does see the light of phones let’s be responsible and not turn this terrible idea into a sensation.