Thai teens talk about Ask.fm
By Wasita Cespedes
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
Did you know
Ask.fm was banned in the UK because of cyber-bullying.
As the world of social networking rapidly grows and develops, the website and application Ask.fm has gained worldwide popularity. Originally launched about four years ago, the site became popular among Thai teens as a smart phone application. Ask.fm now has more than 112 million users worldwide.
The website and application allows users to ask one another questions without having to reveal their identities.
“We can ask anybody anything and they don’t have to know who we are,” 18-year-old Bangkok Christian College student Pop said. “Unlike Instagram or other social networking sites, we don’t know our followers, so people can follow anybody without feeling awkward.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Some people go on Ask.fm only when questions are received, while others spend lots of time using the application just to pass the time.
“I only follow my friends and ask them stupid questions for the fun of it,” 18-year-old Assumption University student Sharp said. “The application is great for people who have spare time and don’t know what to do with it.”
France, a 15-year-old student from Wattana Wittaya Academy said that sometimes people ask abusive questions.
“When that happens, I just reply obnoxiously,” France said.
Some users, like 18-year-old Chulalongkorn University student My, use the application in a more productive way.
“I follow a writer named P’ Winnie, who gives out all kinds of great advice,” My said. “A lot of people ask him questions and I enjoy reading his insightful answers.”
FAMOUS WORDS
Ask.fm is also beneficial for people who want to communicate with celebrities that they admire.
“I ask Internet idols Amp Prawfa and Aclaire Weeranund questions, and they reply in a playful and adorable way,” 15-year-old Wattana Wittaya Academy student Baimoke said.
Fellow Wattana Wittaya Academy student Mill, 17, said that he once asked Thai actor Toptap Napat a question, but he didn’t receive any reply.
“I just wanted to try asking somebody other than my friends, so I really didn’t mind not getting a reply,” Mill said.
USER IDEAS
Some users believe that Ask.fm doesn’t really offer much to play around with. Users have the option to hide their name or show it when asking a question. They can also send gifts to other users, post pictures as answers and get notified when somebody “likes” their answers. The people you are following and their answers will appear on the timeline.
Korn, an 18-year-old student from Samsenwittayalai School, suggested that Ask.fm could have a function in which users are able to guess who the people asking questions are.
“The application could list a choice of around 10 names, and users could try to guess from the information provided,” Korn said.
Sharp also had an interesting idea for improving the application.
“It allows people to answer with pictures, but not to ask questions with pictures,” Sharp said. “It would be nice if we could also post pictures as a way of asking questions.”
IN OR OUT
The users we talked to had different opinions on whether or not Ask.fm was an application worth using.
“It allows us to talk to people we know, but they might not know us,” Mill said. “The application provides a space for people to communicate and learn more about people you might not have met.”
Baimoke, on the other hand, thinks that the application is fairly pointless.
“It’s basically for people that have too much free time, so they spend hours asking other people questions,” Baimoke said.
As happens eventually with most social networking sites and applications, Ask.fm is starting to become less popular, with users not spending as much time on the app.
“Thai teens generally get into something because it’s trendy, but after a while they get bored and look for something new,” Korn said. “I’ve already deleted the application from my phone.”
Pop also thinks that the application is on the way out.
“I still use it and answer questions, but I’ve noticed that there are less “likes” for my answers, which indicates that there aren’t as many people using it as before.”
Vocabulary
- rapidly (adv): very quickly
identity (n): who or what somebody is
abusive (adj): ruse and offensive
obnoxiously (adv): in a way that is extremely unpleasant and offends people
insightful (adj): showing a clear understanding if a person or situation
playful (adj): full of fun
pointless (adj): having no purpose; not worth doing
trendy (adj): very fashionable, usually only for a short time
indicate (v): to be a sign of something
