Whisper is a relatively new smart phone app that’s piqued the interest of college students across the nation, and LSU is no exception.
Confessions, cries for help, regrets, rants, revelations, humor and hookup requests are often the subject matter of users’ “Whispers.” Whispers typically run the spectrum from light-hearted movie quotes to mundane complaints to suicide notes.
Sarah Attman, head of public relations for Whisper, said the app is a place where users are invited to be themselves and can say what they want without having to hide.
“The Whisper app is a space where people go to have authentic, unique experience on social networking,” Attman said.
A Whisper is a post a user can anonymously submit to be viewed by other Whisperers around the world. The user selects a background image, fills the text box with whatever message he or she desires and then picks a nearby location. Other users can then “heart” the post or reply to it with their own Whisper.
The app is similar to the now-defunct PostSecret app, with a few differences. The app is free, unlike the $1.99 PostSecret app. Also, a user must choose a screen name, but he or she can change it later. The ability to view Whispers from nearby areas, about a 10-mile radius, is also a new feature.
Attman said the app released in May and has exploded in popularity in the past few months.
Whisper’s popularity has spread to other forms of social media, namely Facebook. College-specific Whisper pages have been popping up recently, like the “Whisper on LSU” page.
The page posts University-related Whispers and ones from the Baton Rouge area from the app, such as, “I’ve accidently come across a couple having sex on the fourth floor of Middleton… I watched.”
Robert James, Whisper area manager for the campus community and one of the administrators of the page, explained the allure of the app.
“This is a way of having an outlet, and maybe people can get into the habit of saying how they feel without having to deal with repercussions or potential judgment,” James said.
However, James said some people post Whispers with the intention of receiving feedback from other users, such as posing questions or asking for replies.
Some common Whisper themes James has noticed are people reaching out in hopes of finding a hookup buddy, LGBTQ issues and self-acceptance or lack thereof.
James said the Whisper app attracts attention from college students because they have become intertwined and accustomed to expressing thoughts through social media.
James recognizes both the benefits and the drawbacks that an anonymous app can harbor.
“Even if you don’t know who’s struggling with the same thing you’re struggling with, maybe just to know that there are people struggling with the same thing, it might ignite a motivational fire in you,” James said.
