Screenshot: Lindsey Ellefson
Since introducing new trendy apps like BeReal and Dimensional is my problem now, it’s important that I bring you news from NGL, an app that combines with your Instagram account and gives people the ability to send you completely anonymous messages.
What is NGL?
NGL is just the latest in a long line of anonymous messaging services like Formspring and YikYak. If you’ve ever been to Tumblr, you’ll remember being able to send anonymous messages to other users (and the absolute chaos that followed). There has also been reasonable concern about the potential for misuse that goes into the anonymity of signing these applications, such as school bullying and bullying.
That way, NGL isn’t new, it’s just new to Instagram, and it came after Snapchat suspended rival apps Yolo and LMK last year after all three entities were sued by the mother of a teenager who he committed suicide, allegedly after receiving anonymous taunts. and Snapchat. The anonymous messaging trend has just migrated from Snap to Instagram.
How is NGL used?
The interface of the application is simple. Download it (available on both Apple and Android) and enter your Instagram username. The app gives you a unique URL that you then share in your story, which is now possible because Instagram gave all users the ability to share links to stories last fall. NGL even creates a graphics template to make it easier. From here, anyone who sees your story or receives your link can send an anonymous message without having to download the app.
How anonymous is NGL?
To reply to a message, you must share it again in your story, which means that anyone who sees your story can read it. It works almost exactly like Instagram’s native “Questions” feature, where users can enter text in a box in response to a question and the original poster can share the answers for everyone to see. When you use Questions, however, the original poster can see who submitted each answer, although Story viewers will not. NGL eliminates this by making the sender of each response completely anonymous.
You can change the alert a person sees when they click on your link, but only for a pre-written one such as “send me anonymous messages!” or “send a name for a fee.” If this second one doesn’t make sense to you, you might be too old for it. Other cues include “truth or dare, I’ll do it wrong” and “flood my inbox if you’re a real one” with a water drop evocative emoji added to measure it.
What kind of questions do people ask about NGL?
When I downloaded NGL last week, I knew I had aged absolutely out of the period of my life in which it is appropriate to request anonymous comments online, if ever it was appropriate. Still, I insisted, but I accidentally set up my message to “send a name for a fee.” Fortunately, my followers ignored it. Unfortunately, they quickly encouraged me to “do a OnlyFans” and asked me a bunch of extremely invasive questions.
I reposted my link, asking them to be trained and nice. I offered to give advice or something. Shortly afterwards, I received a number of specific compliments and some vague requests for advice. I answered a question, mostly because I found it fun to continue participating in something so embarrassing, and I didn’t post any compliments because I felt mortifying and unjustifiable. In the meantime, my friends posted all of their posts and I read them carefully.
After replying to a message by posting it, a green check mark will appear in the app’s inbox. Unread messages have a different color than read. Color coding is simple, but useful if you’re worried about losing a message or sharing one twice by accident.
Should you download NGL?
Cons can outweigh the advantages. There is the potential for abuse (although I sent a very NSFW message to my friend to test the filters and she reported that she never received it) and the equally strong potential for direct embarrassment. To be clear, asking for anonymous feedback is a kind of degradation, even if you do it in a bright new app.
Still, it can be fun. It was nice to read the sweet things people had to say. It was curious to see how many people used it as we used to use their predecessors in college, hinting at who they were or what low-level sexual pests were. (If you’re very desperate to see who sent something, you can pay $ 9.99 for a “professional” subscription that will give you “tips” on the device model or the person’s overall location.)
NGL could also be useful in a more practical way: the Instagram Questions feature includes usernames, but NGL could be used to solicit feedback on more sensitive topics, which could facilitate better (or more honest) answers. Also, NGL has a much larger character limit than the Questions box.
If something looks good to you for any reason, go ahead and get the app. You can tell me everything on Instagram @ ellefs0n. Here is my NGL link.