Staff Writer- Izabell Newman

Photo Credits: Fin Gustafson

To put it simply, there exists no shortage of communication options for students in 2026. Over the past few decades, a multitude of social apps aimed at facilitating communication between students have emerged: YikYak, Fizz, and Sidechat, just to name a few. While the main intention of these apps is to encourage community amongst students, it unsurprisingly did not take long for complications to arise on these platforms. After all, it is the general consensus that a twenty-something college kid will do and or say anything (even to their own detriment). Gustavus is not immune to the various issues circulating on these platforms; one may cite the frequent arguments between anonymous users on the Gustavus Fizz server as evidence of such. And though positive outcomes have no doubt occurred because of YikYak and Fizz, their anonymous nature makes it easy for students to spread hostility that breeds negative student morale.

YikYak and Fizz are two popular mobile applications that students across America use to anonymously communicate with one another. The point of anonymity is to promote vulnerability and ease of inquiry — in other words, one may feel more comfortable asking questions to their peers if they don’t have their name attached to their post. And posting is relatively easy: simply create a draft and write whatever is on your mind. Students at Gustavus regularly post about the campus squirrels, updates on campus events, and warnings about which bathroom stalls have been rendered unusable. While this is the intended use of the apps, some students use the anonymity to say things they otherwise wouldn’t want connected to them. A first time user of Fizz may be caught off-guard by the nature of certain posts. Other students take to these platforms to voice their loneliness, which is often met with both others relating to said statement and unwanted harassment.

Though these interactions are not face-to-face, they can still leave a user feeling bitter about their peers. Multiple users have voiced their concern over the toxic culture perpetuated on these apps. Many users post about the general dread of academic work, feelings of isolation, and social anxiety. Another popular genre of post are those which ridicule the other gender, complain about relationships, or some combination of the two. To add to the mix, a third type of post sees users gossiping about other students using pseudonyms or sometimes even real names. Whether this is done with the consent of the students is unknown. These wildly different sentiments create an environment that may overwhelm students simply trying to make friends or keep up with events as they find themselves constantly bombarded with anxious lamentations.

Anonymity is powerful. Studies show that people are far more likely to say things they wouldn’t normally say under conditions where their identity is kept secret. While this can encourage honesty and openness, it can also encourage harmful behavior. Perhaps the worst uses of YikYak and Fizz’s anonymous posting gimmick can be observed in the fighting and targeted harassment that occurs in comment threads of dubious posts. Users posting offensive or explicit content is, unfortunately, all too common. Notably, posts featuring tirades against the opposite sex spur arguments that can drag on and on. There is a noticeable tension between male and female users, as it seems that despite graduating and becoming legal adults, students have not matured past petty arguments about whether or not the guy or the girl should pay for the first date. While it is not the worst to be found on these apps, the divide between the sexes does not help with the negative atmosphere.

The greatest feats of mankind are being achieved today, with the advent of the internet being perhaps one of the most impactful inventions since the dawn of the printing press. One would hope that instant communication could only do good for humanity, but it seems that we have a bad habit of ruining all good things in one way or another. When given the chance to foster community and make friends via college communication apps like YikYak or Fizz, users have instead opted to create hostile environments where being defensive and anxious is the default. Maybe we can all take a step back and realize that there are more important things to focus on in life.