Social media has become a great way to express yourself and vent for the world to see. On several college campuses, students have created anonymous social media accounts that allow students to express their feelings behind a mask. This is especially useful when mentioning a specific person or thing.

At Grand View, students have created three Twitter accounts that reach a combined 1,410 followers: GV Truths, GVU Confessions and, most recently created, GV [better] Truths.

These accounts allow followers to click a link that takes them to a Google Doc where they can “confess” whatever they have on their mind. Each submission is completely anonymous even when the account holder receives the content. Each account is anonymously run, and many still do not know who has access to officially post the tweets.

Students on campus were asked what they thought of the accounts and almost all of them came to the same thought: The accounts aren’t something to get worked up about until the tweets start to get offensive.

“When you scroll through and see a tweet that is complimenting someone it is kind of cool,” Lindsay Hall, (Sr.) said. “There has been multiple accounts created and shut down in the four years I have been here and they are all the same.”

Anonymous accounts allow people to be a bit more fearless in their submissions and send in tweets they could never say in person.

“People need to stop hiding behind the screen and should only submit tweets that they would be able to say to that person’s face,” Mitchell McPartland, (Sr.) said. “When I have been tweeted about I read it, laugh and move on.”

While scrolling through the different accounts and reading the tweets, some wonder how a person can say what is being said about others.

“Girls are the main subject of the tweets, and the tweets are not always talking about them in the best manner,” Thomas McMullin, (Sr.) said.

One tweet reads, “Shelby Hanson can bake me cookies anytime!”

“When I read that tweet I thought it was kind of funny, but a little weird since I didn’t know who said it,” Shelby Hanson, (Jr.) said.

Paul Brooke, a professor in the English department, had never heard or seen any of these Twitter accounts. When one of the accounts was pulled up in front of him, he scrolled through several tweets and started to laugh. When he had had enough, he said he was not at all impressed with what was happening.

“One out of 10 thoughts are relevant.” Brooke said. “Congratulations to those who have tweeted and thank you for wasting my time.”