What is Sarahah and why is everyone talking about this anonymous messaging

app?

Every time there is one or other trending things that captures the attention of everyone within no
time. Suddenly, every newspaper, social media sites would be flooded with that trend whether it is
any meme or app or game. One such thing that has been trending extensively on Facebook is
‘Sarahah’. So, what is Sarahah and how has it suddenly become the burning sensation on online
media? Let us know about it step by step.

What is Sarahah app?

Sarahah is an anonymous messaging app that provides a platform to send private messages to a user
without disclosing their identity. According to the app description on iTunes, Sarahah gives you a
platform to receive honest feedback from your employees or friends in a private manner that will
help you to discover your strengths and areas for improvement. The app is available in English and
Arabic language.

How Sarahah app Works?

In order to join the bandwagon of sharing thoughts and feedbacks as anonymous users, first you
have to download the Sarahah app. It is available on Google Play Store as well as Apple App Store.
Once downloaded, you have to create an account on the app and you will also receive a custom URL
(such as rony.Sarahah.com) after completing the registration process. You can share this URL with
your friends or anyone either by messaging them directly or by sharing the link on various social
media platforms. When an individual visits your Sarahah link, he/she is directed to a page where
they can leave a constructive message to you. The curious thing is that you will never be able to
know the identity of the sender unless the individual decides to include his/her name in the
message.

The Sarahah app has a message feed that manages your received, favorited, and sent messages.
There is also an option to search for other users provided you know their Sarahah URLs. This app
does not allow users reply to any message or reveal the identity of the sender. You can block a
sender if you find the message derogatory or offensive.

Why Sarahah goes popular?

Sarahah has achieved immense popularity in such a short time span of its launch. In these few
months of its launch on Android and iOS platform, it has emerged as the top free app on both
platforms. The prime reason for this is the curiosity generated by the app, especially on the social
media platforms. People want to try this app at least once and wish to know the feedback provided
by others.

Its Origin and History!

The word ‘Sarahah’ means ‘honesty’ in Arabic. The app was built by a Saudi Arabian developer
named Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq. Before developing the app, he developed a website with the same
name. According to him, the objective of creating the website was to provide a platform for the
employees where they can post feedback about their employers without revealing their identity. The
anonymity will ensure that no actions can be taken against them.

Soon after, he thought of widening the reach of this website to personal level, where friends and
relatives can post honest feedback about each other. This led to the increase in the popularity of the
app, especially in Middle East and Africa. The android and iOS versions of Sarahah app was released
on June 13, 2017 and became a raging hit in other countries also. Its popularity can accessed from
the fact that it has been integrated with the popular photo messaging app ‘Snapchat’.

What about negative aspects of Sarahah?

The Sarahah app has achieved immense popularity among the users for its anonymity feature, but
not without any repercussions. Many people have expressed their concerns regarding the app
becoming a breeding ground for hate. They are some apprehensions that this anonymous messaging
app will lead to cyber bullying. Many users have complained of receiving hate messages related to
racism, slut-shaming, and other offensive things that make them depressed and worried. The
senders take the advantage of their disclosed identities and may involve in repeatedly harassing the
persons.

Unfortunately, cyber bullying is not something new to us, and the app cannot be solely blamed for
increasing cyber bullying. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are infamous for being
hub to trolls and bullies, even though their identity and profile details are public. However, the
anonymity feature of the app can prove to add an extra layer to the harassment and cyber trolling
without having any fear of getting caught.

The developer has rejected claims regarding the app being a platform for cyber bullying, and justified
that the app promotes self development through constructive feedback. There is also a block feature
available in the app through which you can block another user from sending further messages to
your account. Though, this will not stop cyber bullying entirely, but can help to reduce it to some
extent.

So should you be using Sarahah?

Sarahah is a really fun app allowing you to share your thoughts and feelings to a person without
revealing who you are. It allows you to share interesting opinions and feelings which you or the
other person would not have dared to express on the face. So, in a way you get to know many
interesting things about yourself like some secret admirer from your school days. However,
everything has a flip side to it. The funny banter can soon become out of hand, and there is a
possibility of receiving some nasty messages. Even if you consider to ignore it, but anonymous
messages can still hurt you.

Now, the question is whether to use the app or not. Well, it solely depends on how you can handle
negative messages. Many users said to have enjoyed using this app, and learned many interesting
things about them. On the other hand, some users have also complained of harassment and
criticized the app. But, overall it’s a very fun app to use.

The only thing that is left to see is whether Sarahah app is able to sustain its popularity in the long
run or fades away with a cameo.