Snubster: The Anti-Social Response to Online Social Networking

Snubster is a new anti-social social Web site that brings together users through common are irked by the same things. Where MySpace and other similar Web sites aim to bring people together based on interests are simply through the desire to have the largest friends list, Snubster users are free to discuss their irritation with such people.

So, is Snubster the antidote to MySpace and the like?

MySpace is, in fact, one of the top 50 list entries among Snubster users, which may very well mean that Snubster is the perfect cure for those who are feeling ill toward MySpace.

What is a list you ask?

Well, on Snubster each user is given two lists that they can build, an On Notice list and a Dead to Me list. The lists are meant for exactly what they sound like they are meant for. A user's On Notice list is a place where they can list all of the things that they are starting to get annoyed with, but haven't completely given up on, they are putting said list items "on notice". A user's Dead to Me list is a place where users can list all of the things they have given up on, things that they are absolutely fed up with. Not only can users list things that irk them, they are also able to add descriptions to list entries to explain their reasons for placing an item on their list.

Snubster users can perform a search on people and things which they wish to add to either of their lists and then, when they find them, add them to whichever list they wish. If they can't find what they are looking for, they can simply create a new item, that will then be available for other users to place on their list as well.

On Snubster, your imagination is the limit. When one looks through the Top 50 List Entries, they can find anything from a serious annoyance to a humorous one. Among the entries on this list there are Dead to Me entries on "Scientology", "shredded wheat", and "people who confuse doing something for a long time with being good at it."

While adding celebrities and inanimate objects to one's lists is seemingly safe, what about those everyday people who get added to someone's lists? There is a function on the site where a user can send an e-mail to someone newly added to a list to let them know why they are being snubbed. While there are some legitimate reasons for snubbing people listed on Snubster, one must be concerned about what might happen if high school bullies decide to e-bully a classmate through Snubster.

So, in the end, even though Snubster is different from those social sites that aim to forge human connections through similar interests, it can still be just as harmful when stumbled upon by the wrong user.