The Brief: School crushes, compliments, secrets and confessions Facebook pages post curated confessions and messages that have been anonymously submitted.

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DEEP DIVE

Some high schools and colleges have unofficial Facebook pages for students to anonymously share crushes, compliments, secrets and/or confessions with their peers. Crushes, compliments, secrets, and confessions pages are typically run by current students who accept submissions through DM’s and anonymous forms and then post them to the page. These pages may have hundreds or even thousands of followers and many of them are public pages that anyone can access and view, rather than private groups which would provide more filters from watchful parents, teachers, or administrators. They typically have no official affiliation with a school or its administration.

Many of these crushes, compliments, secrets, and/or confessions pages are no longer in commission, pointing to the likelihood that they’ve at least partially gone out of style. This could be due to the proliferation of other forms of anonymous social media like Reddit and apps designed for ‘confessions’ and the telling of secrets such as Tellonym and Lipsi. It could also point to how Facebook is becoming less popular for young people. Instagram confessions accounts are a similar form of public anonymous sharing of secrets, crushes, and potentially taboo subject matter.

As with many types of anonymous social media, some submitters seem to take advantage of the anonymity of these pages to write things that are mean are hurtful. It’s up to the discretion of a page’s admins whether or not to post a submission. There have been reports of issues with bullying, harassment, hate speech, and even threats of violence either posted on or submitted to these pages.

Crushes

Crushes pages typically consist of posts about crushes and missed encounters. Often, these posts callout a crush by their full name to give them an anonymous shoutout, sometimes hinting at the true identity of the person who wrote it. Although these posts generally seem to be positive and respectful, they may at times be objectifying and/or embarrassing for the person they’re about.

Compliments

Compliments pages typically feature positive posts that give praise and compliments. They often call people out by their full names, but can also be more vague.

Confessions & Secrets

School confessions and secrets pages vary in content. They may include crushes and compliments as well as a range of other rants, confessions, or secrets. Sometimes these posts are more negative and may directly or indirectly attack another student.