Whisper At Me

A good app is hard to find, but they do pop up occasionally. Last month I came across Whisper and was reminded of a digital Post Secret. It describes itself quite simply.

"Ever wondered what the people around you are really thinking? Whisper is an online community where millions of people around the world share real thoughts, trade advice, and get the inside scoop."

As with all social media it is not always used as intended, and you'll always get the trolls of course. But there seem to be a lot of people on it who use it to anonymously air their pain and secrets. It's surprising how sharing your secret with someone you don't even know is liberating. If you told that secret to one new person every day, one day you'd be able to tell the person that matters.

I think freckles, stretch marks, tattoos, bruises, birthmarks, and scars are the coolest thing ever. You started with almost a blank canvas. Look at you now. All this evidence that you've lived.

I read that Whisper and realised I'd never thought about life like that before. I thought about all the scars I have and realised that they really did tell a story. I always specifically think of the PE incident where a friend somehow managed to gouge a line of a skin, every time I look at the back of my hand.

Life shouldn't need a box that says "tick here if you don't want us to share your information.

The above made me think of how everything in life is a battle to keep your personal details secret. It isn't until it's too late that you realise you've shared your details with every company you've ever brought from and every website you've ever registered on. You really don't know where any of that information goes. I managed to discover a website I don't even remember registering with that I had a profile on. I must have signed up to it but I had no recollection of it.

Don't ask me to hang out at 11pm, what do you think this is...... I'm in bed I got no bra on I already exfoliated... it's too late.

Currently helping my daughter try to find the chocolate of hers I ate last night.

These two entertained me. Simple facts of life that we all deal with and rarely ever say out loud. In all likelihood these days, if you want me to do something after about 6pm you're out of luck. I am indeed in bed or curled up on the sofa in my pyjamas with no bra... deal with it. 

I love the fact that when you ask my age I don't lie and you just block me!!! I'm 35 not dead!!!

Guy: "So many people on here are shallow, I'm not like that." *Chat for ages and get on like a house on fire* Guy: "Oh you're not a stick thin model? I'm out." BBW and proud.

I feel like the point of this app is to talk to people and just get to know them for who they are, not what society assumes they are. Sadly not everyone thinks this way, as is evident by the Whispers above. I'm more than certain that women don't have the same issue as the guy who posted the first Whisper... that's more of personal experience than any kind of guess work. From chatting with people it amuses me that older men are said to be creepy but the same isn't said of older women.

Unfortunately, Whispers like this make me sad for the future of humanity. It seems like there are a lot of people on the app who feel the same way too. You can talk to someone for ages, and really connect, and then suddenly something changes. It could be you sent them a picture, you told them your age or you just said something that they didn't like. You'll never know the reason, and quite frankly, for everyone of those people who stop talking, there is someone who will talk.

There are an amazing variety of people sharing their thoughts. The happiness of someone sharing that they've found out they're pregnant and want to share it with someone straight away. The sadness of people trapped in abusive relationships. The struggle of someone coming to terms with their sexuality.

It might not be the best way to express some of your thoughts, but in a digital age it works as an interesting way to meet like minded people... and I won't lie, even if you don't want to share a thought of your own on the app it is certainly an interesting look at how the global community, near and far, deals with situations on a day to day basis.

Don't be shy, pop over and Whisper at us.