You know that phrase, “If we threw all our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back?”
Well, if you’ve got a heavy secret to get off your chest, a new Twitter bot called @secrets_exe can help. The concept behind the bot is more Secret Santa exchange than Six Billion Secrets or PostSecret — you direct message the bot with your secret, and you’ll receive someone else’s secret instantly.
@secrets_exe is novice programmer Josh Nalven’s first Twitter bot, created for the practical purpose of learning more about Javascript. While the whole appeal of the bot is privacy, Nalven does, of course, have access to to your deepest, darkest secrets. Not to worry, though, because all direct messages are auto-deleted after some time, and he promises to respect your privacy — your secrets won’t be sold to the highest bidder.
DMs are saved in my inbox for now — auto-delete coming soon. Don't DM me any nuclear launch codes.
— ~ secrets_exe ~ (@secrets_exe) March 2, 2015
There is something therapeutic about the idea of confessing a secret and getting one in return, an intimate trade that we’re used to doing only with our close friends. But sometimes, we also crave anonymity as a means of distancing ourselves from our troubles. Unless the secret you receive is something spammy like “I love pizza”, you might feel better that someone, somewhere, is just as anxious or unsettled as you are. And judging by the response so far, you’d definitely be in good company.
https://twitter.com/secrets_exe/status/572569535263449088