Banking on positivity to help them take off as the next big thing, it’s already off to a great start with their initial release in Michigan. Gas has found that offering simplicity, wholesome content, and real-life friends on the app can keep teens engaged. At its best when many users in the same friend group and school are signed up and active. Instead of allowing anyone to interact with one another, users need to know each other in real life which helps keep away cyber stalkers from unknowns a problem Facebook has not figured out. Once a group is created, Gas will start sending polls for users to answer. The way they write the polls is very much like yearbook superlatives, but crafted with the Gen Z in mind. Whenever a user gets picked in a poll, they receive a heart. It will show them the grade and gender of the person who voted for them. There’s no free-form messaging whatsoever through the app, which automatically eliminates a big fear of negativity creeping in. There is an upgrade known as God Mode for anyone hoping to learn a little more about who gave them a heart. It’s a minor expense, but not necessary to enjoy the app and everything it’s designed to provide.
How Gas Handles Privacy Concerns?
Running an anonymous app sounds like a great idea on its surface, but many social networks have had this backfire on them. Cybersecurity issues are glossed over at times by social networks, which sets up tons of problems. Gas is taking extra measures from the beginning to ensure they handle bullying every step of the way. As already mentioned, their biggest standout feature is that there’s no way to write anything a person wants to another user. Occasionally, people will write positive things to someone else through an anonymous app like Sendit or YOLO, but it’s a way to bully anonymously as well. It creates more harm than good, which is why it’s not part of the Gas app. Another issue involves private information being leaked or shared without permission with third parties. Gas only asks for personal information to help connect users to their friends. This information is used to keep everyone in proper groups. Without this information, it would increase the chances of students from different schools or even adults jumping into polls they shouldn’t be in. There’s a series of measures put in place to protect teenagers so that they only interact with people in their school and friend group. There have been too many horror stories about adults reaching out to minors, catfishing, and other issues that don’t need to be on social networks. If an account fakes information in any way, it’s permanently removed. There are automatic measures put in place, as well as a team checking accounts for suspicious signals, such as having too few contacts at their selected school. Parents have already reacted positively to the way Gas works. With polls controlled by the Gas team, messages turned off, and safety measures taken to keep real students grouped, the app avoids running into so many common pitfalls. Too many social networking apps will only think about growing the user base and keeping everything accessible to the masses. Gas hopes to be an alternative for those who want to have more positivity in their life while interacting with real people they come across in person. Think of Gas as more of a small app available in different regions around the United States. It’s not one big Gas app, but a lot of smaller, personalized Gas apps under one umbrella. Two teenagers even a county away from each other will never show up in personal polls. This is a safety and privacy measure. Early signs show that Gas has a great chance of creating fun, new engagement. Keeping a fresh list of polls will keep teenagers coming back consistently. Positive feedback can certainly benefit a teenager’s self-esteem It’s also a great way to escape from the negativity some other apps provide. All in all, Gas has a chance to grow fast as new regions open for business.
