For centuries, human beings have had this innate desire to voice their opinions and express themselves to others. Social media has proved to be a marvel for this, giving us a platform to reach out to people not just nearby but across the world. But with multiple aspects of people’s identities visible on social media, there is a gap which is exploited by trolls and online abusers that doesn’t allow people to be completely open about their opinions & emotions as they always feel threatened by these unwanted characters before posting even a single word online.
Candid is a free speech social networking app where people from around the world can let out their inner feelings. Though the app can be used by anyone and everyone who wishes to say something keeping his/her identity completely confidential, its makers say it was created keeping women in mind as they are the most vulnerable section of the society.
The app was conceptualized by Ojaswi Sharma who got the ‘social entrepreneurial mindset’ while pursuing his final year of Bachelors in English from the Delhi College of Arts. “In my final year, I started binge-watching biographies, documentaries and reading autobiographies of successful business minds like Andrew Carnegie and Mark Zuckerberg.
I had a very strong desire to do something to help people deal with repressed emotions and fulfilling the desire to be “heard” without being identified, judged, tagged or even worse- abused; this became the basis of Candid.” Ojaswi believes women can greatly benefit from this kind of a platform as they can share their personal feelings and seek advice on sensitive topics like harassment, toxic marriages, reproductive health etc. without the fear of identity disclosure as a random, auto-generated user name is assigned to every user.
It also allows people to talk on a one-to-one basis with another user. But obviously things can’t workout with only an idea, so to make it a reality his friend Harish Uginwal played an important role and gave the idea an identity in the form of an application using his software programming skills. “Harish was a saviour for me, it would have been impossible to take Candid where it is without his coding skills”.
Unlike most applications where users are usually not aware of the people behind the scenes, Ojaswi & Harish regularly interact with them through the platform to ensure they are feeling safe and resolve any problems they might be facing. Since it’s accessible from anywhere in the world, Candid takes its unique advantages beyond the Indian border as people from various countries use it to anonymously share their thoughts.
“This app is not only for the privileged but equally for the most marginalised so that their voices can be heard. My intention has always been to benefit the last person in the queue” adds Ojaswi. Please note – This is not an app for trolling anyone, it will be better if everyone avoids using names here. As filters are there for abusive languages. – When you discover People like you sharing their inner words, Stay Humble. – Search for related content based on your preferences, but respect everyone’s idea. – Message anyone, you like or save them as a favourite, but mutual consent is important.
