Appsolutely explicit: Dark underbelly of apps in India

Pooja*, a college student, does not want flowers from her admirers. “Rose mat do mujhe, koi aur gift do na (Don’t give me a rose, give me another gift”),” she tells the 200-odd ‘fans’ watching her on a live-streaming app.

Why, you ask? The ‘rose’ is, after all, a virtual one, available free of cost on the platform. A gift, like a virtual kiss or even a ring, however, would mean her followers would have to pay for it through micropayments.