Although many hesitate to admit it, we all are guilty of scrolling through the “anonymous” Facebook posts on CMU Confessions, CMU Crushes and CMu Compliments. These pages have become an instant sensation and have taken over many newsfeeds. Whether the posts confess an innocent crush, a creepy obsession or a disturbing revelation, they are sure to spark attention in the online CMU community.
These various pages allow students to get their deepest, darkest secrets off of their chests and then sit back and watch as Facebook users react to their posts. The confessions range from shocking revelations: “Let it be known that it’s not just students that have crushes on TAs. It goes the other way as well. It sucks,” to deeply troubling: “I thought I was depressed, I thought no one cared about me, and I thought no one could ever find me attractive. Then I realized I was just a sociopath.” The excitement that comes from knowing someone’s secret or hidden crush contributes to the success of these Facebook pages. Still, there are some who find the posts to be offensive, depressing or detrimental to Carnegie Mellon as a whole.
Gemma Wallnau, a sophomore Chinese major, expressed her dislike of the anonymous confession pages. “I think it’s annoying and overdone. If people really feel this way, then they should step up and say it to someone’s face. These pages encourage an awkward social environment and CMU is awkward enough as it is.”
Others find the Facebook sites to be harmless and at times even advantageous. CMu Compliments allows students to bring attention to the outstanding qualities of their peers, making students feel appreciated and noticed. Additionally, some students use CMU Confessions as a method of venting and a low-risk way of expressing their true feelings.
The newest addition to these anonymous Facebook pages, CMU Crushes, has two different links that are monitored by different people. One of the links uses a Googledoc in which students can anonymously confess who they have been crushing on. The content is then uploaded to the site, immediately followed by a tag of the person who was mentioned in the post and comments from friends. But before you decide to confess your love for the cute business major who sits behind you in class, beware of the possibility of being exposed.
Alexis Steger, a sophomore Chemical Engineer, was scrolling through one of the CMU Crushes sites when she came across a lengthy post about her. “CMU Crushes messaged me on Facebook and asked if I wanted to know who the post was from. I said ‘sure’ and they sent me the name of the guy who wrote it. I was really freaked out because it was someone I’ve never spoken to before.”
Although these sites can be entertaining, use caution when posting or commenting on anything. In the words of Samuel Johnson, “To keep your secret is wisdom; but to expect others to keep it is folly.”
Photo credits:
CMu Compliments
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