She pointed out that those who are not registered on Peeple will only have positive reviews about them made public. The new app being hailed as the “Yelp for People” has mysteriously vanished, along with a few of its social media accounts.
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Peeple was initially advertised as an app where users could rate any person they know and frequently interact with. In order to post reviews on Peeple, users have to be at least 21 years old, have a Facebook account, and use their real names. The post claimed there was no evidence for the app’s existence before the Washington Post interview that catapulted the app into notoriety, and suggested that the real reason behind the app’s inception was to promote a reality web series starring Julia Cordray, co-founder of the app.
“Blurring professional, personal and romantic reviews for anyone to see is preposterous, even if it’s comprised of only glowing reviews”, marketing analyst Brian Solis of Altimeter Group wrote in a LinkedIn post.
The developers said they won’t be put off by controversy.
There’s also a new theory circulating that Peeple was, basically, a hoax or a prank gone wrong, which, frankly, would be the best-case scenario here.
The app’s Twitter and Facebook pages have disappeared while a search for the website returns a “Not Found” message.
In an essay published Sunday on LinkedIn, Cordray says she’s received “death threats and extremely insulting comments,” all because people misunderstood her extremely innocent, positive, and loving app for ranking people as though they’re inanimate goods and services.
Additionally, on Monday, the website and social media pages for Peeple were taken offline. “Simply stated, if you dont explicitly say ‘approve recommendation, ‘ itwill not be visible on ourplatform”. Peeple’s premise of allowing anybody to publicly rate and review each other online, without any opt-out option, has led to widespread negative criticism of the app and its founders. The Care2 petition (rightfully) argues that “people aren’t numbers” and demands an end to the release of the Peeple app. It now has over 10,200 virtual signatures, though whether it can gain enough support by the app’s proposed November 2015 launch to sway Peeple’s creators remains to be seen. “Why not do the same kind of research on other aspects of your life?”
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After launching last week, a social media backlash ensued although people have begun to question whether the app is in fact a hoax, something Cordray denies. Share your thoughts below in the comments section.
