iDol On The Rise

January 21, 2017:

An article in the Daily Bugle concerning the rising social media all-in-one app, iDol.

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Fade In…

The article appears in the business section of the Daily Bugle, too small to headline the front page of the section.

'Users of the app praise its attractive, intuitive interface, the depth of its utility, and even the accuracy of its marketing algorithms. "Sometimes I wonder if it isn't reading my mind," said Kelly Rickart, age 20. "I had just been talking to some friends about getting dim sum in Chinatown over the weekend and boom, there was the ad for a little restaurant I'd never even seen before. And the restaurant was amazeballs."'

'With the beta test already a smashing success, users report that new features are being continually added. The latest adds a kind of social currency, called in addition to the 'like' system we've grown accustomed to after Facebook's coup over social media. Much like Reddit's system of awarding gold to users for especially good contributions to a thread, iDol users can award Karma to other users, conferring a host of ambitious benefits, from ad-free browsing and custom page themes to real-world incentives from businesses, including exclusive rewards from the company responsible for iDol, a little-known startup called CalixCo. Karma given by one user to another can be sent on to yet other users, creating overnight a vibrant, active social media economy.'

'While most users appear to have embraced this new value system, some have expressed concern. "It's like that Doctorow story, the free one on the internet, with that stuff. Whuffie? It's one thing to 'like' something someone posts, but karma seems like it's just building a cult of personalities. People are already fake enough on social media without having extra reason to pretend their lives are like, perfect little bubbles of lattes and shopping and, I dunno, bath bombs, or whatever," said Liz Redman, 32.'

'What is clear to everyone, whatever their opinion, is that iDol is beating the odds by succeeding where Google+ failed, hanging tough as a competitor with existing social media darlings like Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, and more.'

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