Should an app to rate people be allowed?

Should an app to rate people be allowed?

Introduction:

The internet has done strange things to us, some good and some not so good. We do not decide upon which movie we are supposed to be watching over the weekend without consulting our good friend – internet. Ratings and reviews have started being the medium by which we judge movies, online products and almost everything under the sun that we are about to invest in. Ever wondered if the same kind of ratings and reviews could be available for people you are looking forward to meeting or doing business with? Would that help you in judging strangers or would that lead to misconceptions and other issues? “People” is the controversial app that was making buzz for rating people based on their attributes. What followed its initiation was extreme slamming and controversies that eventually made the site disappear from the web. Should such apps for allowed?

Yes:

1. Despite all the controversies surrounding the launch of this app, its founder Julia Cordray is staying focused and has claimed that the functions of the apps are being misjudged and rumours are being spread without even knowing the full functions of the app. It should be given a chance at being tried and tested by users instead of sacking it right away.

2. According to the founder the app is all about "uplifting each other and helping each other and operating from positivity." Given the founder's confidence in her app, it should be able to reach out to users who can then judge the app depending on its true nature and functions.

3. Interacting with strangers for business or new acquaintances in a new location has its risks. There is no short of cons who take advantage of vulnerability of people who are amateur or new to a situation. If an app can give a hint about the a person being reliable or not, there is no harm in giving it a try. "We all deserve to know who the best of the best are." Most of the hype created about the app is shadowing the positive aspects of the app. Only when it is given a chance to become accessible to people, the true nature of the app can be determined.

4. The founder initially intended to create this app with a friend, Nicole McCullough, a mother who wanted to hire a babysitter for her kid but only after being thoroughly sure about the person. Cases of child abuse and hostility are inevitable and finding a trustworthy person is also a hard task. Going by the claims of the founders, this app could help in knowing a person better and that indeed is worth giving a try.

5. This idea is new and something that hasn't been heard or tried before, hence the concern and anticipations around its execution. There are also news that the founders have removed the controversial features of the app. There is no reason why the app should now be banned. The least we could do for a new initiative is to allow it the freedom to showcase itself to the audience and then it could be decided whether or not the app calls for banning.

No:

1. All thanks to technology and social media, our perception about a person is made right when we see their social media profile. We easily decide with a sealed judgement looking at the pictures and other details that the person could be nerd and boring. We do not even wait to meet him in person and form an opinion about the nature and character of the person. We often forget that the social media can lie big time. This would only worsen if sites and software are allowed to rate people based on their social media details.

2. We need ratings for things and not humans. There is a whole new level of difference between trying a new product and meeting a new person. It would only make users highly judgemental, not that we are any less, and somewhere between all this would brew misunderstandings and wrong perception. Meeting someone in person and having known him all your life is also, most of the time, not enough to know them well. For all you know they could be a devil in disguise of an angel and vice versa. An app of all things is certainly not the way to know a person.

3. There will be risks of defaming by haters for all we know everyone has some for one reason or the other. This app will be a disaster tool if people are allowed to rate and review those they claim to know. And there will be legal implications when someone lands up with a bunch of haters making his life go upside down just for the sake of fun or out of envy.

4. The app would not allow users to delete negative comments about them and nor will they have an option to delete their account. Once a person is caught up in the net and people start rating them on their personality, profile and dating skills, their image is made and stuck at the site forever. This could make bullying easier and victims would be left to deal with the wrath of this to no end.

5. This app is highly intended to objectify people. If the founders are planning to help those who are planning business and relations with strangers , did they miss out on purpose that the app could do the exact opposite of this if a crook wants to indulge in making his reputation appear good on the site? Fake profiles and ratings are not new concepts after all. We have often come across products that have good ratings but are a monumental disappointment in reality. Companies pay their members to give good ratings. What if the same starts happening with this app?

Conclusion:

After all the controversies that showed People in bad light, the founders did not give up. They did go silent for sometime but now that she is finally speaking on its release, we could at least give it a try before being overtly judgemental. We have been accusing the app to be bullying and having an objectifying gaze but the same thing we have been doing to this app. The founder has stated that changes based on feedback have been made and that the app is now "positive only". Unless we see how it works, it is wrong to stash it down .