Sarahah or the ‘Honesty’ app, an anonymous-messaging app has been making waves online, perhaps due to its interesting concept and the social media hype around it. Amongst others. 

Apart from being a platform where constructive criticism is (anonymously) passed onto to individuals in different industries, in the workplace or even among friends- here are six more things you probably didn’t know about the prominent new app. 

1. It was created by Zain Alabdin Tawfiq, a Saudi Arabian developer

Zain, then a business systems analyst, launched the app in June 2017.

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Available in Google Play and the App Store

2. The original intention for Sarahah was only meant to be used by employees in the workplace

So no repercussions could take place if, say, an employee wanted to provide constructive criticism to their boss or vice-versa. 

(Image/ScreenGrab/Sarahah.com)

3. The demographic turned slightly different 

From younger kids to teenagers, young adults and people in their twenties- as opposed to what was initially intended.

4. A chapter in a book by Malcom Gladwell’s Tipping Point inspired the developer by means of marketing the app

When it first started out, Sarahah wasn’t doing too well.. However, founder Zain found inspiration in Gladwell’s talk about ‘connectors’, or people who knew a lot more.

Tawfiq then asked his friend, who’s a major influencer, to share the app to his followers, giving him an instant thousand followers. 

5. When the app hit Egypt in early 2017, that’s when Sarahah really took off

And reached 3 million users, thus putting Sarahah on the digital map. With no other marketing cost but that of other users’ Instagram shares, showing use of the app or sharing links to their Sarahah profiles. 

Today, Sarahah is one of the most successful viral apps ever, even reaching the ‘number one app’ in UK, Canada, France and the United States. 

6. Children or young adults aren’t recommended to use it as some media outlets report it’s a gateway to cyberbullying

Since the app is there to help a person receive feedback on their strengths and weaknesses, the anonymity could potentially lead to cyberbullying, when used by a younger audience. The app itself can’t be held responsible for this as it definitely isn’t the first time bullying took place in a digital platform, however parents can advise their kids to use with caution.