ALEX KUETER / CONTRIBUTOR

Fizz is the social media app that first appeared last academic year, in spring of 2023. Modeled after Reddit, users can post, upvote, comment and create polls for only other  USD  students to view and interact with. Fizz connects students belonging to the same college via their email address, i.e. sandiego.edu. Unlike other social media platforms, Fizz completely strips users of a username or profile; everyone on the app is  completely  anonymous. According to the app’s developers on the App Store, Fizz allows users to, “say what you want, when you want, and maintain full control over your anonymity,” but this digital freedom comes with a cost,  specifically an increase in bullying and digital harassment on the platform.

This semester on Fizz, the atmosphere has changed, there has been an increase in social shaming, with some cases where users take photos or videos of people without their consent, to embarrass them for their actions. People wearing unique-looking outfits or costumes have been photographed and made fun of by users. Couples walking hand in hand are shamed for their public display of affection (PDA), while some users speculate if the girl is unfaithful to her boyfriend. 

While it is normal for friends to discuss these situations with each other or post on their own social media, discussing these very private matters on such a public forum completely changes the game, not allowing for any privacy, perspective or nuance. With the new “Crush” tag that users can add to posts, many have taken to dropping the full names of people they have crushes on, which can be really embarrassing or creepy on our small campus. Athletes have their sex lives speculated about, and other students have had sexual rumors spread about them. Regardless of its truth, these rumors get hundreds of upvotes and can be disturbing to read, especially if they are about you. 

While other social media platforms such as Instagram or Snapchat make it possible to be anonymous, there is an immediate wall of anonymity Fizz users get that allows them to be more vicious on the platform. They do not need to make a separate account or go through the hassle of switching between personal and burner accounts when discussing other people. Users can target whoever or say whatever they want without any fear of consequence because there is no name to tie it back to them. Students on the app lose any sense of accountability and seem to feel as if they have the right to discuss people however they see fit. This creates a culture where students are scared to exist or to try new or potentially embarrassing things while on campus, and incidentally be posted on Fizz.

Many students at USD have also noticed the increasingly negative culture on the app and are worried about themselves being posted. The toxicity has been growing this semester, says USD sophomore Sophia Skubic. 

“Especially surrounding the sororities and fraternities, especially because it’s anonymous, the toxicity and calling out of people creates an unsafe environment at school.” 

The phrase “Fizz is always watching” is often thrown around as a warning to “act normal” when other people are around. USD sophomore Victoria Garcia agrees. 

“This year I feel like it has been more targeted toward individuals,” Garcia said. 

Having some accountability online is good. For  example there have been posts telling people to clean up their own food in dining halls [see photo]. However, I think the culture of Fizz is getting increasingly aggressive and cruel, with every minor flaw in a person being ridiculed by hundreds. Additionally, with the recent uptick in the “Crush” tag where people post their crush’s full names or speculating who they date, Fizz is an increasingly toxic platform creating a culture of negativity and hostility at USD. There has been a rise in racist, sexist and generally aggressive posts. While strangers have always made fun of people on the internet, the combination of true anonymity and the small school environment means there is no escape from harassment. As people who never asked to be included in narratives are discussed by total strangers online. 

With Fizz being a large part of campus online life, we as a community have to decide how we want to proceed with the app. Many people I talked with discussed how, originally, Fizz was a good place for jokes and threads about parties, but now has turned into a negative drain, where people choose to shame and attack others rather than come together as a campus as the app intended. 

While Fizz is definitely sticking around, it’s worth asking if some of the new updates/ trends, such as the crush tag, ultimately made the app a more dangerous place to be or if they are okay to stick around. Perhaps some of the issues could be fixed with a limit on identifying information, or an increase in moderators to help block content that promotes hostility online. 

Fizz provides students with a platform to anonymously spread untrue and toxic information about others on campus. Emma Kate Squires/The USD Vista