In case you thought that the Internet couldn't sink any lower, the creators of a new app are about to prove you wrong. Users who download Peeple, an app launching in November, will be able to rate each other Yelp style –– because what could possibly go wrong with that?
Peeple is designed to help you find other great people, according to its creators. After all, they point out, you use the Internet to crowdsource feedback on everything from restaurants to cars. Why not apply the same idea to people?
The answer, of course, is that people aren't cars. In a world where cyber bullying is already a major problem, giving mean girls (and boys) the tools to quickly and easily critique each other is roughly akin to handing a toddler a loaded gun. Plus, Peeple users will be able to create accounts for anyone they please, without their consent, as long as they have their cell phone number. There is no way for the reviewed to "opt out" or remove reviews, or even to shut down their own profile.
While users who post reviews will have to link their Peeple accounts to their Facebook accounts, it's not exactly hard to create a fake Facebook account in order to post anonymously. And, particularly in the case of teenage cyber bullying, which frequently occurs through Facebook and Instagram, there is often no attempt made to be anonymous, anyway. The critical difference between existing social media and Peeple is that anyone can delete their social media accounts or lock them down, but Peeple takes the power out of the individual and hands it over to the mob.
Don't worry, though, Peeple plans to offer the reviewed individual an option to "set the record straight"; users will be able to comment on reviews left for them. Of course, by doing so, Peeple will gain more users (not to mention your cell phone number!), and you will get sucked into what promises to be a massive drama fest.
In the end, it's pretty clear that there will be only one winner after Peeple launches: the lawyers.
