Curious Cat is that trendy new app that allows you to ask questions without fear of being judged.
"Curiosity once killed the cat" goes the old saying. These days Curious Cat is helping young people express themselves anonymously.
Origin of Curious Cat
Created in early 2016 by Marco Balbona and his cousin Nuno, the app is officially defined as "a Q&A social network...where you can ask and receive questions, sometimes anonymously" according to the website.
In essence, it is a great app for shooting your shot, thirsting after your crush and asking that Twitter cool kid some personal questions. Curious Cat has really picked up on Nigerian Twitter users late 2017.
Nigerian User Experience
Titi who says he uses Curious Cat "off and on," says she joined the social network "Cos everyone was (on it), so I decided to see what’s about."
Her experience on it so far ranges from "okay" to "nice". She's part of the young people on Curious Cat. Hardly a day goes by without you seeing someone replying a question from Curious Cat on your timeline. With the way the app is built, you can reply questions on it and make it show on your timeline. This gives you the ability to give your followers access to your confessional booth.
During this Christmas period, I decided to be like Titi and follow the trend have a first-hand experience.
My First-Hand Experience
The first question I got from Curious Cat on Boxing Day was which rapper I prefer "Olamide or Reminisce?" To stay on the safe side, I gave a political answer - "actually both of them."
The next question was "How's your wife in Ibadan and the twins?" This is an inside joke in the Loose Talk podcast. I gave a cool reply to it. Things started becoming weird after that. I started receiving questions that I dare not reproduce here.
And this is the bad thing about Curious Cat. Under the guise of anonymity, people ask sexual questions that most times lean towards sexual harassment. When you get a sexually explicit question about your beard, it becomes a bit disturbing.
Sexual Harassment and Cyber Bullying
Cyberbullying and creepy sex posts are part of Curious Cat. "I barely reply them, most times (I) delete them," says Titi who gets asked sexually offensive questions frequently.
Balbona understands this problem and created a solution. The app now has features to moderate and block such questions. "We’ve had a few people complaining about bullying, but we’ve given users the tools to prevent it," he told New Statesman in August 2016.
Still, you tend to see a lot of freaky things on there. Trolls will be trolls I guess. I got off from the app after I got hit 11 answers and six followers. Curious Cat isn't just for me. Some of the questions there made me uncomfortable.
Confessional Apps & Twitter Accounts
Despite this flaw in the genetic makeup of Curious Cat, people still flock to it. The answer isn't far-fetched. The app belongs to a long line of apps that are confessionals like ask.fm.
In Nigeria, this trend of expressing yourself anonymously has been around for two, three years. Twitter accounts such as the now suspended Sub Delivery Man and My Hoe Story have given an opportunity to young Nigerians to ask, comment and confess without the fear of being judged.
No one knows how long Curious Cat is going to be around for but while it is still hot on these Twitter streets you can give it a try. Don't just be offended when you get really nasty questions.
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