The App That Allows You To Control Someone Else’s Life
The new app called NewNew offers you the chance to control multiple aspects of the life of the person you choose.
The concept behind NewNew was devised by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Courtne Smith, who describes the app as a “human stock market” where users can control the decisions and outcomes of everyday people.
Courtne Smith | Techbriefly
Earlier this fall, writer Brandon Wong was having trouble deciding what takeout to order and so he asked his followers on NewNew to make the decision for him.
Participants in a poll paid $5 (£3.50) to vote their opinions about the 24-year-old’s dinner dilemma. So he bought Korean food because the majority of people thought he should eat it.
“I couldn’t decide between Chinese or Korean, so it was very helpful,” says Mr Wong, who lives in Edmonton, Canada. “I have also used NewNew polls to decide what clothes I should wear that day, and lots of other personal stuff.
“I joined back in March, and I post [polls] three or four times a week. I’ve now had more than 1,700 total votes.”
Courtne Smith, the entrepreneur behind NewNew, has been working on the idea for the past two years.
While the phrase may sound ominous to many of us, the actual implications are far less alarming. The app is targeted towards “creators” such as writers, painters, musicians, designers, bloggers, etc.
In addition to connecting more closely with their fans or followers than other social media platforms, it permits to monetize that connection.
A creator who creates a NewNew account and attracts followers is encouraged to request votes from their audience via video clips on issues they are concerned with, both professionally and personally.
Wong, who creates fiction on Wattpad and the Wattpad App, also uses NewNew to select genres and character names, along with plot developments.
The creator receives money every time someone votes, minus NewNew’s undisclosed commission.
On the NewNew, a question and two possible answers can be set up by the creator, who allows their followers to vote as many times as they like. Money used to vote are not refunded no matter how the results turn out.
Followers on NewNew can also pay an extra fee – from $20 – to have a character named after them in a book. However, the creator can reject all “bids” and the follower does not need to part with the money.
Other apps ask the public to vote, such as Wishbone, but NewNew lets individual users pay to give their opinion – something it describes as unique.
But with the project only two months old and fewer than 100 creators onboard, is NewNew destined for mass appeal? That’s something social media expert Matt Navarra says he is unsure about.
“NewNew feels a bit like if TikTok met reality TV hit Big Brother and they had a baby, and both of those were phenomenally popular,” he says.
“However, it feels a little bit gimmicky, and I wonder if the novelty value will be short-lived. Yet if choosing what outfit a stranger wears gives Generation Z a buzz then it could be on to something.”
However, a business psychologist ruled against this.
“NewNew” sounds like fun and should be successful in “creating special bonds between creators and followers,” which are beneficial, explains business psychologist Stuart Duff of Pearn Kandola, but in rare cases, the bonds might become unhealthy.
“It may not take long for a creator to go to more and more extreme lengths to attract votes from their followers, ending in potentially self-damaging or humiliating scenarios,” he says.
