By Ellena Sweet | Campus News Editor
After meeting a 500-download requirement, Salve Regina University gained access to the latest trend in social media: Fade.
The location-based app is the latest program to sweep college campuses. According to Fade’s website, it “is a free, fun way to share moments with college students around you – temporarily!”
500 users need to download Fade, within the same area, before their university can gain access to the app. Until this quota is met, users remain barred from viewing or posting on their campus’ photo stream.
After being locked out of the app for several weeks, the Salve community gained admittance on October 14th.
Fade allows users to connect to each other by sharing photos, referred to as “moments,” on their university’s home page.
Each photo is given an initial lifespan of one-hour. When that lifespan expires, the photo simply “fades” away.
Similar to the app Yik Yak, Fade utilizes an “upvote,” “downvote” feature. While upvotes add time to a photo’s lifespan, downvotes subtract from it, making the post fade that much sooner.
Users can also make comments on photos from their university’s feed.
The app does require that users set a username and profile photo before posting content. While Fade allows one anonymous post per day, for each user, it links all other posts to personal usernames and profile images.
Fade’s website describes the app as a means of easily broadcasting, privately or publically, “without the fear of regret!” Yet, some students are concerned that regret is exactly what the app will lead to.
Alana Boulter, a freshman in History and Administration of Justice, heard about Fade by word of mouth. Though she does not have the app downloaded, she remains highly skeptical of its offerings.
Boulter worries that the app’s anonymous feature will lead students to make poor choices when deciding what to share with others. “They might get themselves into bad situations using an anonymous app,” said Boulter.
Kerri McVey, a sophomore in English Communications, shares the same concerns as Boulter. “It could have a negative effect on a student’s enrollment if they’re caught with inappropriate pictures,” said McVey.
When asked if she thinks the app will stick around, Boulter predicted that Fade would likely have a short lifespan. “I think it’s a trend, just like Yik Yak,” said Boulter.
Only time will tell if Fade’s popularity will endure, or if it will simply fizzle out. But, just as the app’s tagline says, “nothing lasts forever.”
