if you use the Instagram and you've seen some recent stories, you've probably noticed a new trend among users: creating anonymous mailboxes for your followers. It's the NGL platform, short for ′′ Not Gonna Lie ′′ ("I won't lie"), which was launched in November 2021 and recently had an increase in popularity. However, some people are warning about the increase in cases of bullying through this new feature.
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Understand better how NGL works and how it can influence the increase in bullying on the social network
The platform, which has been gaining prominence in recent days, reached 7.3 million downloads globally, according to Apptopia. Most of these downloads took place in the second half of June, taking the app to number one on Apple's app store. The program itself is simple: after downloading, it generates a link for you to add to your story or Instagram profile, inviting your followers to send you anonymous messages.
Scraps appear in a box in the NGL app, which you can reply to and share to your story. The possibility that anonymous messages represent has always fascinated online users. “Will I get compliments? Will someone confess their love to me?” are some of the questions that lead users to join the “joke”.
Using these platforms can lead to serious actions by users
NGL is not the first platform with this idea to gain popularity. Curious Cat, YikYak, Yolo and LMK are some examples that start from the same premise. However, most of them face serious problems. Snap suspended Yolo and LMK after learning of a case involving a teenager who was bullied on platforms for months and committed suicide.
The ongoing legal action alleges that Yolo and LMK violated consumer protection laws and that these types of apps make bullying so easy that they should be considered dangerous. As a result of NGL's success, comparable concerns are beginning to arise. Although the site claims to use algorithms "to filter out hate speech and bullying", users claim to have encountered inappropriate phrases and words.
