Fizz, an anonymous messaging app that aims to allow students to connect with their campus communities “safely, authentically, and vibrantly,” is one of several anonymous messaging apps that have become popular on college campuses across America. Students are able to use their official college email addresses to access university-specific communities on these platforms, giving them access to small communities where they can communicate with their peers.
Although the anonymity these apps offer has drawn in users, that same anonymity has caused problems for schools and their students. Sidechat, another anonymous messaging app, made national news for “harassment and bullying” that has appeared on the platform, and was even banned by North Carolina’s University system for its use in “cyberbullying.” Brandeis students have had negative experiences with these forms of social media too, and some of them chose to share their experience with The Hoot.
Two students, who have chosen to remain anonymous, told The Hoot that they first heard about posts made about them on Fizz a few weeks before the writing of this article. Student A, was getting dinner in the Sherman Dining Hall when they were approached by another student who asked if they were “the girl from Fizz,” referencing a post made on the app. Student A told The Hoot about the offending post: a brief video of Student A sitting on the lap of their romantic partner, Student B, with the caption “Can we get these two to stop doing this in my buildings [sic] lounge … it’s driving me fucking insane and no I’m not gonna talk to them.” Both anonymous students went through the comments on this Fizz post, some of which talked about the appropriateness of public displays of affection while others talked about the legality and morality of posting recordings of couples without their knowledge.
Students A and B told The Hoot that they had been made extremely uncomfortable by this post, and another brief video depicting both of them that had been posted to Fizz. Student A said that they were “paranoid” for several days after learning about this post. They added that this “decreased a person’s ability to feel safe on the campus that they live, work, and study on.” The couple spoke to Brandeis’ administration about pursuing disciplinary action against the users that posted recordings of them to the app, before being told that such action could be a “witch hunt,” due to the anonymous nature of the app. Aside from action against the aforementioned anonymous users, Students A and B hope that Brandeis can educate its community members about the effects that social media posts can have on individuals’ on-campus safety and social lives. Student B noted that, if Brandeis can’t have more information about who’s posting what on Fizz, they don’t think it should have a place at Brandeis.
Fizz’ safety policy, visible on their website, notes that “Fizz is a space designed for every user to be their authentic self, and user safety and privacy is the core of all we do. We build inclusive communities where every user can be honest, be vibrant, and, above all else, be who they truly are.” Notably, under Massachusetts law, all parties must consent to being recorded.
