On Wednesday, a new app spread through the hallways leaving sparks in its trail.
“Did you see what this 11th grader girl said about me?”
“Someone voted me for ‘Next Olympic medalist.’ That’s so cool!”
As of Monday, the app is dead. There are many reasons, but the main cause is a rumor that it’s being used for human trafficking.
What is this new app? Gas is a new social media app specifically for teenagers that was launched in August 2022. It asks users to anonymously answer questions about people in their high school, like ‘who do you secretly admire?’ Every hour you get 12 new questions to vote for. You get four options, and whoever you choose gets a notification that a “Boy voted for you,” for example. When you click on it, it shows their grade, what they chose you for and who the others they could’ve chosen.
Gas started spreading rapidly through high schools last week, so fast that it passed TikTok as the number one app in the App Store rankings. Will this last? Definitely not. Personally, I feel this is just another app that is fun for a few days, then people get bored. The concept was fun at the beginning but became repetitive.
The app’s main aspect is that it is non-toxic. However, you can never have a completely positive app when others are able to see how many friends or likes you have, or in this case, flames. People constantly compare themselves to others. Despite this, it is still a breath of fresh air compared to some of the other social media apps we face on a daily basis. None of the polls are negative, ranging from friendly compliments to flirtatious confessions.
Though this app is boring, it is also fighting a rumor spreading across TikTok and Snapchat saying it’s involved in human trafficking. The gossip has made thousands of people delete the app in fear of the dangers. However, this rumor has been proven false and is just another example of the false allegations that grow out of scale because of social media.
When logging onto the app, it asks for information such as grade and school, which was concerning for some. However, the whole point of the app is to connect you with people from your school so you can interact in a positive, complimentary way. Sharing your location is no different than using snap maps. In fact, I think snap maps is more dangerous because anyone you share your location with has direct access to where you are.
Another concern people had was the sharing of their personal information. Take a look at anyone’s Instagram bio. You’ll most likely find their school and grade displayed for the world to see. People are overreacting and not taking the time to do a little research and think about what is really going on.
Despite the rumors, this app still would’ve had a downfall. It was fun for a day but became dull with repetitive and basic pre-written compliments. Unfortunately, apps like this burn up faster than they can spread. The creators had a positive idea, but the negative claims created by social media got the best of their app. With another encouraging idea pushed aside, we can only wish future app creators better luck next time.
