Anonymous gossip sites highlight social media dangers

Blogging and social networking has increased in popularity over the years, and as its applications and uses diversify, so do the ethical and legal issues that come along with the expansion. JuicyCampus.com was a website dedicated to gossip, rants, and rumors about campus life at over 500 colleges and universities in the United States. Any user can log on to the site and post comments anonymously about anyone or anything related to college life.

This type of blogging has caused major controversy about the difference between free speech and libel in blogs, and exactly how to go about dealing with the issue. Typical categories discussed on the site range from topics such as "who is the biggest slut on campus" to tales of a rape victim and how she "deserved it."

Names and addresses were used at times, and many personal attacks occurred on individuals in sororities and fraternities, which brought investigations and lawsuits. The website is currently protected by a federal law that prevents the absolution of any website based on what their users post.

While its proponents argue the point of free speech, but some students at A&M-Commerce believe this type of blogging is uncalled for.

"I think these sites were intended for good use, but the hearts of the individuals using it are different than the ones who created it," sophomore history major Shane Bennett said. "You have the right to free speech, but you also must have respect for others."

Despite the popularity of the site, JuicyCampus.com was plagued with financial difficulty and shut down in February of 2009.

"While there are parts of JuicyCampus that none of us will miss - the mean-spirited posts and personal attacks - it has also been a place for the fun, lighthearted gossip of college life," Former president of JuicyCampus.com Matt Ivester said on the organizations website. "I hope that is how it is remembered."

Other sites have now sprung up to fill the gap in this new field.

CollegeACB.com is one of the frontrunners in the field currently, and is suggested as the official replacement site for JuicyCampus.com on their official blog site at www.juicycampus.blogspot.com.

According to their official blog site at www.collegeacb.blogspot.com "The CollegeACB, or College Anonymous Confession Board, seeks to give students a place to vent, rant, and talk to college peers in an environment free from social constraints and about subjects that might otherwise be taboo."

While the statement is clear in its wording, at least one student at Texas A&M-Commerce believes it is misleading and the new site will not be any different than its predecessor.

"I am pretty sure it is going to be the same as the other site, because if it looks like the same thing, and sounds like the same thing, it is probably the same thing," junior sociology and psychology double major Kristen Jarrell said, "It is just another venue for people to make others feel bad."