I come home to my girlfriends huddled over a computer screen, giggling at what appears to be a stream of Facebook statuses. “Look,” one of them squeals at me, “here’s one about you!” I squeeze into the huddle and am pleasantly surprised to read a complimentary comment about me. In fact, it is the kindest thing I’ve heard all day, and its anonymity creates an extra surge of excitement. “That is so weird!” I scoff, despite my private elation. My friends nod in agreement and I join them laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.
From Compliments to Confessions, there are numerous Facebook pages dedicated to “CMU fill-in-the-blank” that allow students to anonymously post their otherwise private sentiments. Though I’d never paid much attention to these sites, it’s hard to ignore CMU crushes’ explosion of provocative posts. And I’m not alone: Whether it’s to gasp at hookup fantasies or secretly cross fingers in hopes of your name appearing, anyone who’s discovered CMU Crushes is probably guilty of spending an unnecessary amount of time scrolling through the page.
Naturally, there are rumors regarding the genesis of CMU crushes. Initially, people comprised conspiracy theories that X, Y or Z sorority had secretly created the page to give their organization a reputation boost, yet this notion was quickly abandoned since the site praises an eclectic range of CMU students. Though some of us know who controls the submissions, I’m not sure that anyone is at liberty to blab. Besides, it would ruin the playful mystique, kind of like when we discovered that Dan Humphrey was Gossip Girl.
Yet regardless of who posts, it still stands that the site has wooed many CMU students (whether they admit it or not!) Most posts range from appearance-inspired to personality-based, yet some praise unconventional qualities including gait and ability to solve challenging equations in class. On the other hand, it’s hard not to feel exploited if/when you’re mentioned in lewd comments; a trend that grew exponentially as the page gained merit. In this sense the anonymity poses a problem, yet it has not elicited any serious complaints so far.
Ultimately, whether you’re pleased or spooked, this Facebook flattery seems to be a fad. The site is already dying down, with the last post being over a week ago compared to the dozens of posts per hour the page received at its peak. The decline in activity results from the concept’s growing staleness in conjunction with increasingly more “troll” posts. Nevertheless, as with any internet craze, there is always something up-and-coming to replace it.