Rating and Dating App Usage Spikes

Lulu, a new app that allows girls to anonymously rate their male Facebook friends, has recently become more popular among some students on campus.Every male Facebook user is automatically available for rating without his permission through the app, unless he expressly requests not to have a profile. Females rate each individual on a scale of one to ten, leave comments and answer multiple choice questions.Reaction to the site varied among students and faculty, ranging from disregard for the app to acknowledgment that it holds social significance for many.“I am aware of my score. Every guy cares about his score, and many guys I know have given themselves better ratings due to their low scores,” upper Sage Mason said.Some male students who have become aware that they are being reviewed on the app said that it doesn’t affect or bother them, though many felt uncomfortable with the rating system.Senior Nikhil Raman feels that the app serves little purpose. “I think that it is ridiculous to think that an app like that can encompass a person's being and identity in a few words and a number on a scale of 1 to 10,” Raman said.Prep Niels Schrage agreed with Raman, adding, “I don’t know anyone personally that uses it, but I don’t really see it being that popular.”Emily Wiklund, a senior who occasionally views the app, said that she has never rated a friend, but felt that those who have did not do so with serious intentions. “Most of the people I know use Lulu as a joke. I don’t think guys care about their scores because they know not to take them seriously, whether they be positive or negative,” she said. “I’ve had boys use my phone to rate themselves or a friend, but it’s never serious.”However, others claimed that they know many students are aware of their score and have even tried to artificially inflate them in order to boost their image.Jake*, who said that he has access to a girl’s Facebook page, without the girl’s knowledge, admitted that he has looked at the app and can see the scores of his friends. “Some guys have used the account I have access [to] to raise their scores.”Dean Cosgrove said that he viewed the app as potentially harmful. “It could be discriminatory, and could be used to harass somebody, or destroy their reputation,” he said. “I don’t think rating people based on multiple choice questions is a smart way to behave.”Using the app in a boarding school setting, where students are occasionally Facebook friends with some of their teachers, complicates the situation. While methods of anonymously rating teachers online have been available in the past, Lulu changes the angle to a romantic one.“I think it would be a bad idea for students to be rating their teachers on romantic qualities,” Cosgrove said. “For that reason I think faculty should think twice about becoming friends with a student in the social media world.”Regarding Tinder, an app similar to Lulu which allows users to see photos of others nearby and meet up in person, Cosgrove said, “I am thinking of asking advisers to have conversations with their advisees about appropriate use of social media. Tinder, for high school students, just seems totally unwise.”Wiklund said that she has used Tinder casually but has not used it to meet up with anyone. “I generally go on if I’m really bored but I never talk to the people because I get anxious and don’t like talking to strangers,” she said.