Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Wishbone App Hopes the ‘Hot or Not’ Business Model Isn’t Done Just Yet

Facebook or Twitter?

robertprzybysz

The idea behind “hot or not” is still hot, apparently.

Science, the LA-based incubator run by former MySpace CEO Mike Jones, is having some early success with Wishbone, a simple “hot or not” style voting app with a more family-friendly approach. Ice cream with sprinkles or sauce? Bread bowls or salad? Who’s more strict — mom or dad? You can answer with one click, and then see whether you’re in the majority or minority. Seriously, it’s that simple.

“These applications on phones should be thought of almost like channels on television sets,” Jones explained to Re/code. “We want to make it very specific. We want to make it very single purpose.”

That simplicity seems to be working, at least for now. Jones says Wishbone has more than 3 million monthly active users — the majority of which are teenage girls — and more than 40 million votes are registered every single day. It’s been successful enough that Science is launching an identical app called Slingshot with topics geared toward males.

Wishbone and its 3 million users won’t take down Snapchat any time soon, but the concept has actually worked before. There’s a reason BuzzFeed quizzes are so popular, afterall, and don’t forget about Facemash, the 2003 version of “hot or not” that started in a Harvard dorm room before transforming into a little startup we now call Facebook.

Wishbone is even making a little money from the app, interspersing video ads alongside the voting cards. The company also sits on a nice little collection of user data from a very important user demographic (teens), although Jones says he has no plans to make money from that data just yet. In true Silicon Valley fashion, Wishbone is putting monetization off in favor user growth. In fact, he’s still trying to figure out what the draw is for Wishbone before making any major business moves.

“What does social media mean for teens? And why is there engagement on Wishbone?” Jones asked. “I think teens are a little bit underserved. I don’t think they’re on television. I think they’re a little bored on their phones and they want more to do.”

So, do you agree or disagree?

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Podcasts
Are humanoid robots all hype?Are humanoid robots all hype?
Podcast
Podcasts

AI is making them better — but they’re not going to be doing your chores anytime soon.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Future Perfect
The old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemicThe old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemic
Future Perfect

Glycol vapors, explained.

By Shayna Korol
Future Perfect
Elon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wantsElon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wants
Future Perfect

It’s not about who wins. It’s about the dirty laundry you air along the way.

By Sara Herschander
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North
Culture
Anthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque messAnthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque mess
Culture

“Your AI monster ate all our work. Now you’re trying to pay us off with this piece of garbage that doesn’t work.”

By Constance Grady
Future Perfect
Some deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapySome deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapy
Future Perfect

A medical field that almost died is quietly fixing one disease at a time.

By Bryan Walsh