"Should I Join Vero?"
With the upset over Snapchat's new layout and the unpopular opinions of Instagram's latest algorithms, the latest social media network “Vero” is here to combine the most popular social media sites into one space, without the strange algorithms. Sounds great, right?...
The app has had a sudden burst of popularity in the past few days gaining around 500,000 new members. But given the fact the hype started just a few days ago, it’s shocking to see how much backlash the app has already received. Many are now questioning the app and thinking twice before they download.
1. So what exactly is Vero?
Vero is an app available for iOS and Android that allows users to share everything from photos, words, videos, music, thoughts, links etc and claims to bring the “smarter way” to use social media. The app also lets you cluster people into your friends, close friends, acquaintances and followers - with the aim for the app to be more like "real life".
2. Why is it suddenly so popular?
The app is popular for a number of reasons. It has made many promises to its users, one being it will stay ad free and won’t keep changing the app drastically with constant algorithm changes. Your posts will instead be kept in chronological order - something the nation have been begging Instagram to bring back! It seems to be picking out other popular social media platforms faults, with the aim to make the biggest and best app out there.
3. So, what’s the catch?
Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably heard the controversy around the new app. Firstly, the app has a number of technical glitches which is making it challenging for many to post or even sign up to the new app.
However, many of those that have managed to successfully sign up are now looking for a way out! But there’s one problem - deleting you account isn’t as straightforward as you may think. The ‘delete account’ option is very hidden and once you do find it, to fully delete your account and remove your data from the app, you have to ‘request’ for your account to be deleted, sound suspicious? We think so too.
Nobody quite knows for sure what happens after the request but all we do know is that sending a request to delete your account doesn’t guarantee that it will actually be deleted. This is evidently something that is putting many off the app.
The controversy doesn’t stop there… It's not just the technical glitches and strange policies thats putting people off the app. People are also turning against Vero because of its CEO, Ayman Hariri and his controversial past. Ayman Hariri is billionaire whose previous business reportedly committed multiple ethical violations. It’s been said that he was forced to shut down his company due to mismanagement which left thousands of unpaid migrant workers without food, water or medical care. So it’s no surprise that people are doing everything to delete their Vero accounts incase they are supporting another platform built on ethical violations.
The app is supposedly free for the first 1 million users, so if you are seriously considering downloading the app now is the time to do it before it reaches 1 million members. However, the surge in interest is causing many glitches, so don’t expect the app to be working perfectly. It is also worth considering the risks of the app and of course the horrific ethical violations that may be taking place. A growing number of people are calling Vero users to #DeleteVero and abandon the app completely.
Our advice? Stay clear.
We welcome any questions! Don’t hesitate to DM me! - @lucyhitchcock_@sassydigital