Tech

I used the 'Yik Yak of Kindness' app to send anonymous messages to my phone contacts

Leanna Garfield

2016-02-12T15:18:00Z

Anonymity apps like Yik Yak, Whisper, and After School are fun, but they're also a breeding ground for bullying and hate speech.

Up is a new app that seeks to spread anonymous messages of kindness. Once you sign in, you can send uplifting notes to your phone contacts, which they receive in a text.

"It's such an easy thing to do, and it could have a real impact on that person," Up's founder Jeremy Parker tells Tech Insider. "I hope people wake up, use Up, and make kindness an active part of their daily routine."

I decided to try it out for a week and send kind messages to friends and family every day for a week. Here's what happened.

First, I downloaded Up from the iTunes App Store. Once I registered with my phone number, it asked me to get started.

I sent kind messages to three different people every evening. The first was to my mother, who is a middle school teacher.

When I pressed 'send,' the app gave me a warm, self-affirming message: 'You just made someone's day.'

About 15 minutes later, my mom called me. "I don't understand your message," she said. "What is this?"

The message she received from Up referred to her as "mom" (since that's how she's listed in my phone contacts), so she immediately knew I sent the message.

Even after I explained about the app, I could tell she was still skeptical why I would thank her for giving me life and raising me for 18 years. "That's nice," she said.