Students across the nation are receiving the star treatment, complete with paparazzi and dirty gossip.
Since the creation of JuicyCampus.com, a new breed of campus celebrity has emerged: those who have been unwittingly defamed and libeled on the Internet.
Founded last August, Juicy Campus provides a completely anonymous forum that promotes the submission of scandalous information about students. You can now log on to the Internet to find out which sorority girl slept with which fraternity guy last weekend. Although admittedly entertaining, the abuse of Web sites such as Juicy Campus perpetuates an immaturity that should be obsolete after high school and can cause unnecessary stress and drama.
Matt Ivester, the creator of Juicy Campus, said in an interview with the Daily Bruin, “Ultimately, this site is meant for entertainment. It’s not anything we think anyone should take too seriously.” Tell this to someone who has been labeled a rapist, a slut or a cocaine addict to the entire student body. It is not so easy to take these accusations lightly, especially when you consider that anyone with Internet access can read them.
This is a general flaw of our generation: We underestimate the powers of the World Wide Web. We are so used to the seemingly concealed nature of networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace that we naively perceive the Internet to be self-contained, our own personal bubble. But with sites that offer unlimited access to everyone, it is likely that the posts you are reading or writing are also being observed by parents, administration or libeled victims.
This is not high school; I was under the impression that trivial popularity ended at graduation. Students should be able to distinguish themselves on campus as members of athletics, the Greek system or clubs, without fear of being scandalized on the Internet. I don’t mean to sound idealistic, but I consider the members of the UCLA student body to be some of the brightest and best students in the nation.
This distinction becomes questionable when the majority of posts attack the student body as a bunch of promiscuous, drug-abusing morons.
This phenomenon seems to be an extension of the tabloid rags that are multiplying in number every time I visit the grocery store. The depressing news of our generation is Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and now the dirty laundry of our student body is equally in the ranks.
Whether used for humor or revenge, the major glitch of Juicy Campus is that individual students and organizations are openly trashed and libeled. The Web site is turning UCLA into a reality show rather than the educational institute that it is. And Juicy Campus is not the only Web site that fosters personal attacks on the Internet. On Facebook, you can find groups devoted to the defamation of top athletes and on-campus notables. Sites like these detract from the collegian goals of fostering growth and positive exploration ““ instead they encourage hate and banal interest. These Internet sites have the power to do a lot of real-world damage.
Because UCLA is so large, the impact of Juicy Campus is less substantial here than it is at smaller schools where it is not so easy to get lost in the crowd.
“It does nothing but exude negativity,” said Loyola Marymount fourth-year Erin Domier. “Because my school is so small, everyone knows each other. You almost have to check the site to make sure your name is not up there.”
At the very least, Juicy Campus should require the registration of its users, so there is some accountability for the words written. The mission statement of the Web site is to enable anonymous free speech online on college campuses. With complete anonymity, users of Juicy Campus have the power to write absolutely anything without consequence. I am a full proponent of free speech, but anonymous Internet bad-mouthing is completely cowardly and certainly not an example of free speech at its finest. If you have the audacity to ruin someone’s reputation, you should do it with head held high and your name published to the world.
Realistically, I know that would never happen ““ it would be the death of Juicy Campus. Those who are posting this slander would be equally offended and hurt when their words were turned back on them in revenge.
Juicy Campus is not innately evil, but when it is used to belittle any part of the student population, it serves no positive purpose. UCLA students are unified as Bruins, and should have enough respect of there peers to not publish online libel.
If you have something to say, write it to my face! E-mail Enclade at genclade@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.