WHO ARE YOU BEHIND THE SCREEN? - ANONYMOUS SOCIAL MEDIA IN STUDENT CIRCULATION

By Lola Brown

A girl meets a guy out at a club on South Beach. There’s chemistry on the dance floor, so he asks her out to brunch the next day. They exchange numbers and, on

her car ride home, she excitedly texts her friend about the new, hot guy she met. Before she can spill the full details, her friend texts back: “Did you look him up on Tea?”

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In 2025, that’s what many people do to protect themselves — use anonymous apps like Tea and Fizz to find out if anyone has had experiences worth knowing

about.

Take the Fizz app — it’s a place where you can post thoughts, pictures and videos, similar to Threads or X, formerly known as Twitter. The thing that sets this app apart, though, is that you can post anonymously and in a forum that is exclusive to your

university.

University students post about their teachers, residence halls and what food there is in the cafeteria. This app is new to the Barry campus, as it wasn’t very popular in previous years, even though it has been in existence since 2021. Now, when you say the word “fizz,” most students know what you're talking about. Freshman Sabrina Flowers thinks Fizz is useful.

“I think Fizz is useful because it is a social media app that only has to do with Barry. I’ve learned a lot of things as a freshman on campus on Fizz like about club events, where there is free food and what professors to take,” Flowers said.

Many clubs and people post school-wide events to impact attendance and interest. Student athletes post their games to try to raise student attendance. Students also post funny pictures and quotes, which reflect the more positive side of the app.

“I use the app as a place to get some laughs, but I do think it could be useful for informing on what’s happening around campus and connecting with other students,” sophomore Tyler Fink said.

Students have also been known to misuse the app, which is typical of any forum where people can post things anonymously. Students will solicit other students for hook-ups or post mean things about other students or teachers.

Flowers said she gets annoyed with these types of posts. “I think students are definitely open on Fizz. It’s honestly annoying when you are searching through funny posts and you come across a hormonal teenager’s inappropriate posts. Most people don’t use Fizz in that way,” she said. “It just makes me uncomfortable to the point where

I will close or refresh the app. I think some people also take advantage of the app to be rude to people who confidently post themselves. That is something I noticed, if someone posts themselves in a confident way, there are often comments trying to tear them down."

On Sept. 4, 2025, Dean of Students Matthew Cameron addressed the student body with a letter about Fizz, citing complaints the university has received about cyberbullying, harassment, threats of violence and harmful content.

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He admonished that anonymous does not mean consequence-free and “when safety is at risk, law enforcement and platforms have ways of identifying individuals.”

While Barry students may use the app, they are doing so at their own discretion since, Cameron emphasized that “Fizz is an external platform, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Barry University.”

The Buccaneer contacted Katherine Doble, a Barry PR representative, to investigate the specific Barry-related incidents involving Fizz but she said they

“don't have additional comments on the subject at this time.”

She recommended that students adhere to the guidance issued in Cameron’s letter. For example, according to Cameron, students should “not share personal

details, images, or information about classmates without their consent. If you see harmful content, report it in the app and also to the University.”

There has been no such letter sent to the students about Tea. Perhaps because as anonymous apps go, Tea is new to the scene, founded in 2023.

On Tea, you can post a picture of a male and ask a question or leave a comment on the picture for people to respond. Directly on Tea app posts, people can leave either a red flag or a green flag as well as comments. One thing that stands out, though – only women can post.

Women say there are benefits to the app such as being able to speak your mind truly without having to save face. Individuals post many different things from

trying to make plans to secret confessions.

Overall, Tea is centered on men’s history and people asking questions to get other women’s perspectives about those men. This mission is reflected in the other services the app offers, like phone number lookup, a sex offender map, reverse image searches,

background checks, criminal record searches and court search resources.

All of these services can be helpful to women so they may learn more about men before they start getting close to them and allow them into their lives.

“I’ve seen a lot of posts that are pictures of guys and people asking what tea, which is basically asking the public for drama or the guy’s history. I think these posts could help girls who are trying to enter a relationship with someone who they don’t really

know history on, but I have a boyfriend, so I don’t really use the app in that way,” Flowers said.

According to Techpolicy.press, 6 million girls use this app, but it’s very important that people recognize that this app gets misused, as well.

Users have spread misinformation about guys that they don't really like, and there’s really no way to find out the validity of these posts.

CNN.com raised the issues about privacy in July when it comes to the “tea” posted about men after a data breach occurred.

“With the Tea, some men have complained that the very act of enabling users to post photos of them online without their consent violates their privacy rights. It is fair for people to be concerned about their images or likenesses published online,” CNN’s Elliot Williams said.

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The irony of the app is you can post whoever you want and it’s anonymous; furthermore, there is a screenshot blocker enabled so that the evidence remains only

on the app itself.

“I take more of an observer perspective when it comes to these apps. I can see why many students choose to post things anonymously, but my personality is more honest,” Flowers said.

Both Fizz and Tea apps show how quickly social media changes within student life, offering new ways to connect, share and express opinions. While these

apps can build community and provide useful insights, they also remind us of the responsibility that comes with online anonymity and communication.