TBH, the app that stands for ‘to be honest’, is now becoming a craze across the United States. Since the iPhone-only app was introduced in late August, over 353 students from our school have downloaded the app.
The point of the app is to participate in anonymous polls that offer statements saying specific things about someone’s characteristics or personality. You get four names to choose from, and whoever you pick as the best fit to the statements receives a gem. One gem equals one vote, and over time, people accumulate gems for the number of times they were picked. And, as anonymous as the app claims to be, the only thing that you know about who picked you is their gender and grade.
Receiving gems is an exciting experience because you get the satisfaction of ‘winning’ someone’s choice, knowing that they chose you out of the other three people. However, I sometimes receive completely inaccurate gems that supposedly describe me. On the second day of using the app, someone voted me ‘most likely’ to be quiet in a class discussion,’ which is not something that would describe me at all. As flattering as some of the statements are, they are not an accurate representation of people.
A problem I’ve had with the app is the gem count people have displayed on their profile. The profiles contain a picture of the user, their gem count and their three most popular statements. Almost as if it were fate, the most popular or liked people ended up with the most gems while everyone else was giddy after receiving a single gem. This makes people more concerned with how many gems they have compared to other people, and encourage people to judge each others based on how popular they are in the app. Although this might seem small, the impacts can greatly affect those who are constantly concerned with how people perceive them.
However, the app has been getting positive results, such as making people feel more confident and recognized in the school. Since the app is anonymous and is made so you connect with people in your school, you have the opportunity to vote and interact with a variety of people from your community.
All of the polls are positive comments and screened through the app, so any time someone receives a gem, it is a compliment and not offensive. Many anonymous apps, such as Ask.fm or Sarahah, do not have the full screening of the comments, so TBH avoids all possible bullying on the app. This creates a more positive atmosphere, making the game more focused on positive things than negative.
Unfortunately, only iPhone users can have TBH, and Android users are unable to get the app. This only allows a select group of people from our school to get it, which can be frustrating to students wanting to participate.
Additionally, the app has a ‘friend’ choice, so if you are non-binary, or someone who does not identify with the strict choices of male or female, then you have the option to identify as so. It didn’t occur to me that there even was this option until I received a gem from a ‘friend’. I really appreciate that the app is socially conscious of problems non-binary people experience, and that it didn’t force them to conform to a specific gender to enjoy the app.
Overall, I encourage people from our school to get the app, but to not take the game too seriously. This app, like any social media platform, can have negative effects on people’s confidence and bring out insecurities, regardless of how ‘anonymous’ or positive the app intends to be. Social media platforms are a way to express yourself; they are not meant to express you. Anonymous love is great and all, but basing your worth on pixelated gems is an awful way to live your life.
