The tech press exploded yesterday not just over the Amazon Fire phone, but over the Yo app, a thing that lets you ping someone by tapping on their name.It raised a million bucks from investors, and people are PISSED about it, presumably because of that simple fact, and because the app's mere existence says something about Silicon Valley or Kids These Days or something. At the very least, a huge amount of people are trying to Figure Out What It All Means with thousand-plus word think pieces and are considering if this might signal the downfall of communication or the hubris of venture capitalists.Others have discussed what "context dependent" communication means and how we'll use it more in the future and how Yo is leading that charge. Others have deconstructed the etymology of the word yo. Others have talked about what all the different "yo's" could mean.It doesn't mean any of that shit. The app is garnering so much attention because it's a good, useful idea.All I know is that I'd rather it exist than not exist, and it's a waste of time to discuss it in any more depth than that, because we are all presumably humans here who have all presumably texted or called someone to let them know that we are there, either virtually, or literally in a let-me-in-your-house kind of way.Using it to ping someone saves a couple seconds' worth of scrolling and typing, which, hey, is a lot when it's raining or you're driving, or you're busy, or you're carrying a bunch of stuff.Maybe the app will die in a week; it probably won't take over the world. All I know is that, as it's constructed, Yo is the new version of "call me and let the phone ring twice when you get home." Yo is the new version of "hey, let me in." There's value in that.
Advertisement