Welcome Hunch, a polls-only social network that values the opinion of GenZ

Ish Goel, the co-founder and CEO of Hunch, is also the brain behind PlotX, a Web3 gaming startup)

For most of us, scrolling through popular social media apps like Facebook and Instagram is a routine. While these platforms are hotbeds of content creation and dissemination, it is being increasingly observed that users are conscious of what they post, largely due to the fear of being judged by their peers. Moreover, being validated through ‘likes’ is a huge theme, often bringing up feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem, if not fulfilled.

All in all, these spaces aren’t as inclusive as they set out to be. With the introduction of alternative social media channels today, there’s a ray of hope. Hunch, co-founded by Ish Goel (also the brain behind PlotX, a Web3 gaming startup) is a fun, polls-only, and pseudonymous social network to know what your friends and people around you think on topics that are esoteric, unconventional, and never discussed.

We caught up with Goel to know more about the motivation behind starting this platform, what sets it apart, and some eye-opening facts that Hunch’s users have brought to the forefront.

The story behind Hunch

Goel has always been fascinated by the ‘wisdom of the masses’ – a concept that collectives can approximate the same answer as experts. Previously, he experimented with a similar approach at PlotX, in the category of crypto price prediction.

“Last October, it dawned on us that to really tap into collective wisdom, it’s critical for a product to be universal and have a low-effort entry point. That’s how Hunch was born – a social media platform for a group, whose opinion is rarely sought and frequently dismissed; the youth of today,” he shares, adding that their current operations are limited to Delhi-NCR but that’s likely to change soon.

Today, social media is a highly divisive warzone, where the image that an individual projects is everything. Every word and action is shared with the world, which is then either scrutinised, debated, ridiculed or praised.
“This has had a chilling effect on the free flow of thoughts, opinions and nuance, with a push towards either becoming a part of individual echo chambers or being shunned. Hunch provides a safe space for the young adults of today to voice their real opinions, and hear from their peers through the pseudonymous format,” Goel explains.

Creating a safe space

Interestingly, all the content on Hunch comes from its users, who are curious to know what their peers think. However, Goel shares that they want to ensure that the integrity of their vision is maintained in the content.

“While every user can apply to be a creator on the app, we are selective in who we choose to give access to. For the time being, we have handpicked a group of individuals who understand and resonate with the views, beliefs, struggles and ambitions of the GenZ population. All questions on the app are contributed by this set of early creators, and the questions are a byproduct of their own experiences and thoughts,” he maintains.

Moreover, Hunch users have the creative freedom to share as much or as little information as they want to on the app. While some people may be comfortable answering weird, esoteric questions with their real identity; others may not, continues Goel.

Goel says Hunch has brought to the forefront many themes that may not have been discussed as openly in the past.

“It is completely up to the individual, since all we want is for the GenZ to have a place to share their honest opinions with each other,” he says.
As eye-opening as it may sound, their app has brought to the forefront certain themes that may not have been discussed as openly in the past. Goel lets us in on some of these statistics, “21% of our user base has confessed to currently being on some form of antidepressants, while 31% believe finding love is the greatest challenge facing GenZ. In contrast, only 24% feel the same way about finding a job.”

On a lighter note, the GenZ is divided on whether a zebra is white with black stripes, or black with white stripes.

What’s next?

Goel is overwhelmed with the response to Hunch – 91% of the people who log in go on to answer questions on the app. On average, each new user answers 16 questions in a session. They have also been flooded with requests from their users to become creators.

There’s a lot that’s in store for Hunch. They recently launched Peek, which lets users see insights of the answers shared. Another highlight is ‘Hot Take’ – this feature gives more information about the most viewed question, most popular user, comment that received the most likes, etc.
“We will soon launch a feature that lets users create their own groups, within which they can ask, answer and share weird or uncomfortable questions. There are also plans to open up categories for underserved niches such as anime, sneaker culture, streetwear and the like. We are also experimenting with different formats like image and video for questions,” he explains.

In Goel’s words, this is only the beginning – the end game is to go beyond Delhi-NCR, to the whole of India, and then make waves globally.