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Rich Kids - the social networking site only for the stupidly rich

Ranjan Crasta | Updated on: 10 February 2017, 1:46 IST

In September 2014, James Touchi-Peters saw himself on the cusp of great things. He was days away from launching Netropolitan, a social networking site exclusively for the uber rich; a service he was charging a $9,000 initiation fee for, plus a yearly membership fee of $3,000. After all, as the self-appointed gatekeeper to the world of the financial elite, he deserved his cut of the riches.

Two months later, the Netropolitan venture was over. As it turned out, the rich got that way because they weren't spending $12,000 on services they could have for free.

Also read -Pune's 'gold shirt' businessman murdered with stones and sharp weapons, 4 people held

Now though, we have a new claimant to Touchi-Peter's iron throne - Juraj Ivan. Ivan wants to do the same thing Peters' did, except he thinks he's found the missing cog to Peters' plan - to catch them before they're smart enough to spend their money wisely.

To that end, he created Rich Kids - the social networking site everybody wants to be on punch in the face.

Rich Kids

It's not that rich kids are complaining about the currently available social media options. After all, it's hardly their peers who shower appreciation on the rich kids of Instagram, but us, the unwashed masses.

The welcome screen of the site (Photo courtesy Rich Kids)

Still, Ivan's logic was that rich kids weren't getting enough exposure thanks to commoners whose posts might be equally interesting if not more. This is why, while Rich Kids allows commoners to join, only those willing to pay the $1000 monthly fee will be able to post.

It's all about maximising the visibility the rich feel entitled to. As their membership page so delightfully informs us, "being rich is boring when nobody sees you." And, for those balking at the exorbitant monthly fee, the website makes no apologies:

Photo courtesy Rich Kids

That's right, if $1000 - roughly double the average monthly wage of India - is too much for you, this isn't the platform for you. However, we think a more appropriate statement would've been,' If you have even half a brain and an iota of sense, this isn't the platform for you.'

Self-defeating

Think about it, the websites basic premise, that being rich is only fun when its visible to others, is inherently at odds with the goal of maximising visibility.

Sure, paying members posts will be visible, but only to an online ghost town.

Rich Kids allows only people rich and/or daft enough to cough up the monthly fee, the privileges of posting and interacting and this will certainly increase their visibility. However, it also makes the assumption that us, the commoners (apologies to all the one rich person reading this), will sign up just to scroll through rich kids' posts despite being robbed of a voice.

Sure, some people may be bored enough, desperate enough or just plain stupid enough to sign up for this economic cuckolding. The vast majority though, will laugh at it, think its members are touched in the head and never speak of the site again. Which means that, sure, paying members posts will be visible, but to an online ghost town.

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Also, the beauty of rich kids posting their largesse on Instagram is that they aren't in any direct competition with each other. There's plenty of filler to break away from the mundaneness of wealth, and each display of pomp is seen in isolation. Put them all together and it just blurs into one boring collage of money that could've been better spent.

If Netropolitan taught us anything, it's that even blinded by all the shiny things in the world, people can still spot a lemon. However, maybe, just maybe, the stupidity of youth might actually allow this platform to succeed.

First published: 12 October 2016, 8:22 IST
 
Ranjan Crasta @jah_crastafari

The Ranjan (Beardus Horribilis) is a largely land-dwelling herbivorous mammal. Originally from a far more tropical habitat, the Ranjan can now be found wandering the streets of Delhi complaining about the weather, looking for watering holes and foraging for affordable snacks. Mostly human, mostly happy and mostly harmless, the Ranjan is prone to mood swings when deprived of his morning coffee. Having recently migrated to the Catch offices, he now inhabits a shadowy corner and spends his time distracting people and producing video content to distract them further.