Untappd is one of my favourite apps. I sometimes, not entirely inaccurately, refer to it as ‘Facebook for alcoholics’. And I’m not trying to play down the plight of alcoholism. I’m merely trying to summarise the operation of an app which allows people to register their purchases of alcoholic drinks, along with a rating of their enjoyment.
I’m fairly certain I don’t use Untappd to its full potential. I’m fairly sure it can allow me to uncover beers and venues that I wasn’t previously aware of. I’m also fairly certain that Untappd is a relatively unashamed example of the commercialisation of personal data: find something consumers are interested in, check that retailers/producers want consumer data, then collect and provide consumer data.
Regardless of the commercial dimension, I quite like being able to keep track of my ales. I enjoy ale. I enjoy different styles. I like to know which brews I’ve tried and which are new. Untappd, at a purely functional level, does what I want and need it to. What Untappd do with my data is somewhat irrelevant, as in the specific context of my drinking habits, I’m not too worried about how my data is aggregated, analysed or commercialised. As long as I can see what I’ve already tried and what is new, that is fine, and I accept that apps have to make a living for their developers.
So if you like your ale, give Untappd a try.
Commonplace 