By Sydney McCarter and Ameer Abedy

Spring semester at Berea College has just begun and already a new challenge has appeared for the administration: Berea Fizz.

Fizz is an anonymous social media platform that functions like the greater known “YikYak”. Students can post within their college community funny moments from their day, relatable observations around campus, and other harmless jokes that then go on to receive, or not receive, upvotes from their fellow classmates. The platform is used by colleges and universities like Stanford and Rice as well and has taken strong root in Berea since its launch at the beginning of the semester. In theory, Fizz is innocuous.

Even though Fizz can be used to engage and bond with fellow students at Berea, it can also be used in a more hurtful and destructive context. While the app does have community moderators in place that can screen reported posts, this screening is not always immediate and does not remove all posts that may be interpreted as attacks or bullying by viewers. In observing the material posted on Fizz, one student said, “some of it is really bad, people have been name dropped or had their faces posted and not always in a positive way”. While moderators often take these posts down, many are left up just long enough to get significant views or comments from the student body. Response from administrators has many students upset and wondering what may happen with the app if its uglier features continue to take the spotlight. Some of the more offensive posts have been outright homophobic, transphobic, and xenophobic. Other posts, while not intended to be offensive, are either overly sexual or very political

Berea College President, Dr. Cheryl Nixon, specifically mentioned Fizz in an email sent to the entire student body. The email emphasized that violations of the Berea Student Code of Conduct on Fizz could result in disciplinary action that could include suspension or expulsion. While these consequences may seem extreme or an overreaction to the nature of the content posted on Fizz, the President also made clear that anonymity on platforms like Fizz in not a guarantee. While the true length of how anonymous these posts are is unknown, it is certain that threats from administration may change the nature of the content posted on Fizz. While the app is certainly a welcome break from the monotony of classes and homework during the colder months of the year, students should also be aware of the potential consequences of their posts and the potential impact their words could have on others

Aside from Fizz, the most active online platform for Berea students is a Facebook group called Bereans Gone Wild: Cult Edition. This group has existed as the primary Berea social platform for many years and includes several professional staff members and alumni. While not anonymous by default, the Facebook group offers the option to post anonymously. However, any post that is made anonymously must be approved by the moderators before being published. While the Facebook group has seen its fair share of controversy, it is nowhere near as controversial as Fizz.

It is very important to note that not all of the posts on Fizz are as described above. Most are benign and some are rather wholesome. The issue is that the frequency of offensive posts and their potential impact are really concerning. While the future of Fizz and its continual relevance is unclear, it is safe to say that so long as anonymity remains, the app will continue to be a headache for faculty and staff here at Berea.