Apps that help you avoid people
Social media expects us to be, well, social. Constantly telling people what we're doing, where we are, where they could meet us for a cup of coffee — and that that can be bothersome. There are, after all, lots of people we do not want to meet, no matter how many times we might "like" what they post on Facebook.
Thankfully though, somebody has finally begun to understand. The result being apps that instead of forcing us to be social, allow us to do the exact opposite — avoid people.
The app Cloak works by pulling in data from people's Instagram and Foursquare accounts, thereby pinpointing exactly where those people are posting from. The next bit is simple, once you know where they are — you make certain you don't go there.
The app, perhaps expectedly, came about after one of its creators, Brian Moore, bumped into an exgirlfriend four times in six months. He finally developed the app with a friend, Chris Baker.
It is probable that a number of other people have had the same problem as Moore because in the two weeks since the app launched, it's collected over a 100,000 users.
Commentators obviously immediately latched onto that, wondering whether the impressive numbers were a sign that the world had been crying out for a Cloak. And whether, contrary to what is told to us every other day, a lot of people actually do like their privacy?
Whatever the answer, said the commentators, what Cloak does for us is give us an excuse to stop pretending like we actually like interacting with other people and instead allow us to retreat into the socially awkward bubbles we've never quite shed. Or, as the commentators asked: "Let's be honest, who really enjoys running into the boy who used to pull your hair in third grade?
Or your ex-boyfriend's creepy work buddy? The answer, if we're being truly honest with ourselves , is nobody. Because if you don't care enough about somebody to willingly keep in touch with them, having them thrust upon you in the middle of a crowded street won't be a particularly enjoyable experience."
Udi Dagan certainly knew what Moore had to go through for his app, Split — it does the same thing as Cloak — pulls in information from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare to help users avoid people they do not wish to see. Dagan's reasons for being anti-social ? Exactly the same — he bumped into two ex-girlfriends in a matter of hours on a night out.
Split allows you to check locations in advance to make certain they're clear of any "undesirables" , see which venues they tend to frequent . The app will even alert you should an undesirable begin to close in on you and, best of all, it will even suggest an escape route.
Like with all technology though, there is always the fear of misuse. In this case from stalkers. Dagan says that the same features that help users avoid people can also be used to track them. Or that instead of avoiding an ex, if you want to know what is happening with her, where she is, who she is with — people could use it to do that too.
But still, say the experts, only a handful of Cloak and Split users — say about 1% — will use the apps for that purpose, rather than what they were put out there for
.
Hi guys If u like this post please leave a comment in comment box... comment box will top right of every post and bottom of every post. its useful for me give a better information.. check top of the blog there is menu bar in that go to comments i replied for u r comments because there is no direct option for reply for u r comments. if u want to give any suggestion in bottom of blog there is contact information option please leave a msgs with u r mail id sure i will get u.
.