November 14, 2024/Midnight

Erie Pa.,– Gannon University students recently gained access to a steadily growing social media platform and it is starting to gain the attention of the Gannon community.

Recently, the newest social media app, Fizz, has made its way onto students’ apps as well as their Instagrams. and spreading like wildfire from phone to phone.

Fizz has been compared to that of Yik Yak which met its social media demise in April 2017. The app was shut down due to a decrease in user engagement.

However, there had also been growing criticism around the platform for rampant cyberbullying and threats of bombs and shootings, which had led to school shutdowns and evacuations.

Now, a decade later, Fizz is coming in hot as the new social media app that allows users to write anonymous threads to whoever else is connected on the app. The app uses student emails to connect those in the same community together through comedic threads and relatable texts.

It also allows students to interact with posts, liking or disliking certain threads, posting polls, and more.

Something that started out to connect with fellow students has recently started to disconnect certain organizations or groups and even potentially bring harm to the entire student population.

On Gannon’s Fizz site there has already been a threat and warning to students to not go to Palumbo on Wednesday, November 6, right after the election in the first two weeks of Fizz being advertised to students.

The incident was reported, and the proper organizations were informed about the threats. There has also been student involvement with student accountability about certain posts that have been found to be inappropriate or hate and bias towards certain students.

Student Development and Engagement sent out an email on November 7, heeding warning to students who were using the app letting them know that while this app could be used to foster healthy online discussions and community, that there is unfortunately more opportunity for it to cause harm.

“…we must acknowledge the greater potential for harm that supposedly anonymous platforms can provide.”

They also provided a multitude of resources for those who want to ensure the safety and well–being of those who might be negatively affected by these anonymous posts such as the counseling center, the ‘Talk Now’ feature, as well as places to report incidents.

“Anyone who feels threatened or has knowledge of a threat should report to campus police immediately.”

The only question is, will Fizz meet a demise just like its similar predecessor Yik Yak or does it have potential to become the most used app on campus?