Modern romance is a difficult thing to get right. The first step seems impossible — how do you let that special somebody across the room know that you’re interested? It takes a great deal of courage to look them in the eye, expose your soul to theirs and ask if they feel the same.
Fortunately the magic of technology has allowed University of Oregon students to skip that process. Why not just send the object of your affection a digital love note — all behind the safe screen of the UO Crushes Twitter account?
@UOCrush is a publicly viewable Twitter feed, where anybody can shout out a declaration of love — no matter how crass — with little to no consequence. It has produced such works of modern romance poetry as “(name redacted) in Tri Delta literally just talking to you makes me hard. You’re mouthy as fuck, please put that mouth on my dick.”
“To (name redacted) of Carson Dining: stop sitting at that register and sit on my face instead.”
“Lovin that chest full of treasure popping out of (name redacted)’s black dress. good thing i was sitting down in class. Gimme some of that booty.”
While the names were removed from those tweets, that’s not how they appear on the service. If you’re called out on @UOCrush, your full name can be posted inside one of these declarations. But your suitor? Completely anonymous.
The imbalance between those who are allowed to protect their real identity and those who are exposed is incongruent. These accounts wouldn’t exist if individuals were comfortable posting these photos and declarations on their personal accounts. The ability to stay anonymous is the attraction. Online anonymity is changing how people interact, and may be bringing up parts of ourselves best kept hidden.
The operator behind @UOCrush assures that it’s all in good fun. “People are always criticizing me saying that the account does not help set up relationships, and I agree with them. People get excited to see their names on the account and when it happens, I believe it is an excellent confidence booster,” said the operator, who requested to be anonymous. However “if someone is not a fan of the tweet I will take it down, no questions asked.”
Users called out by @UOCrush are a little less excited about having their name posted. Freshman Chloe Caldwell mentions, “I was flattered that I was on the account, but I was definitely a little embarrassed at the same time … I would be most comfortable if (@UOCrush) only used my first name.”
When asked if they would be willing to censor names by default, the account’s creator turns defensive. “Absolutely not … If there were no detailed descriptions or last names…no one would care at all, nor would the account have any meaning.”
A similar breach of privacy occurs in a more expository way on @OregonMakeouts. This is an account dedicated to posting snapshots taken of makeout sessions at various parties, without consent.
The stars of the account are almost always intoxicated, and unaware that they’re being observed. Like @UOCrush, there’s no way to know who’s taking the photos – but the faces of every person in the photos are displayed.
The popularity of the account is an undeniable breach of assumed privacy. If you’d like to keep yourself off the feeds of over 2,200 followers, the owner of @OregonMakeouts (in an earlier interview with this publication) recommends “that you don’t make out at a party in the first place.”
Outside of the web, the users behind these accounts are normal people. Face-to-face, discussion is civilized and humane. But put a pair of screens between those faces and things can get harsh.
“There’s a concept called deindividuation. When we operate as individuals, and know that our identity is tied to our actions, we tend to be more reserved in our behavior. We are pressured to confine to social norms. But when you’re unlikely to be called out as an individual, we exhibit socially inappropriate behavior,” said Psychology Professor Azim Shariff. “This process of deindividuation often occurs in mob mentality, and I think it’s also happening with this @UOCrush account. People are saying things they otherwise would feel socially obligated to keep private.”
Anonymous speech can pose a threat to the privacy of individuals with the use of accounts like @UOCrush and @OregonMakeouts. In the global content, online anonymity plays a hand in many social crises. Romantic social network impersonations — also known as catfishing — cyberbullying and identity theft have all been on the rise in the past few years – primarily due to the expanded availability of Internet service.
Presently, any proposed laws that have confronted the question of anonymous posting online have hit a brick wall known as the First Amendment. In 2012, a pair of New York politicians attempted to launch the “Internet Protection Act,” a bill that would prevent anonymous commenting on any website hosted in the state. However, precedent set by a 1995 Supreme Court ruling defending anonymous speech kept the legislation from going forward. So, what is it about the right to hide our identity online that is so worthy of protection?
Colin Koopman is a professor at the School of Philosophy here at the University of Oregon. Last term, he instructed a class entitled “Internet, Society and Philosophy,” which tackled many of these issues.
“On one hand, anonymity provides a screen for people who would exploit these opportunities at others’ expense, be that in the form of annoying trolling or in the form of identity theft,” Koopman said. “On the other, it provides a shield for people who are eager to try out different forms of expression and connection. That can be a really positive thing, especially for someone who finds themselves in a stifling familial, moral or political environment.”
It’s that shield that has made the Internet a powerful tool in the LBGTQA* movement, for example. Exposure to new cultures can be extremely difficult, especially when somebody may be growing up in an area that isn’t accepting of certain worldviews. The Internet can allow a person coming to terms with their sexuality to get in touch with like-minded individuals across the globe and gain support. Most importantly, all of this can be done without connecting a face to the interaction. It allows secrets to remain as such, until the day comes where that individual chooses to publicly embrace their identity.
Shariff also brings up an example showing how anonymity can make us more honest in communication.
“A study was done between groups of various people,” Shariff said. “First, each individual chose a handful of adjectives from a list to define their personality. Afterwards, they went and communicated with other individuals – either face-to-face or in a chat room. Then they were asked to define the personality of their partner using the same adjective list. It was found that those who communicated online had more matches between the self and partner. When we have the veil of anonymity, we are more indicative of our true selves.”
Anonymous speech online clearly has the power to do good, just as much as it can do evil.
“Given its double edge, there is probably not much sense in saying that anonymity online is a good thing or bad thing,” Koopman said. “Rather, we should try to understand anonymity, including its promises and its perils.”