What’s Fizzin’? The anonymous, campus-specific social media platform Fizz has made a big impact on the Vassar community in the last few weeks. The app, founded by two Stanford students, first launched in the summer of 2021 and has only grown since. Previously, Vassar has had its share of anonymous posting through apps like Yik Yak and the widely followed @vassar.confessions page on Instagram. What makes Fizz different?
In the founding story, the creators credit Fizz with constructing a new type of social media, writing, “We saw that unlike existing social apps, Fizz has completely changed the culture, creating a wholesome, intimate, and uplifting online space through proper community-based moderation.” One of Vassar’s paid moderators, Nico Silverman-Lloyd ’25, echoed the sentiments shared by the app’s founders, sharing “I chose to become a Fizz moderator because I actually think the app is doing good things for campus, and I like the idea of being able to help keep it leaning towards the harmless, positive side as opposed to falling into the toxic pitfalls that many social media apps are prone to.” Explaining the moderator position, Silverman-Lloyd said, “There is an interesting system in play where at least two moderators have to agree on the post’s fate before it is carried out.”
Fizz encourages their moderators to adhere to the app’s guidelines of what should be taken down and to use the college’s culture as a framework to make these decisions, adding a more personal aspect to the job. Silverman-Lloyd’s role is integral to upholding the app’s mission to create a space for students to share their college-specific content with other students.
Since Fizz is a third party over which Vassar has no ownership or control, there have been several incidents of speech that violated Vassar’s guidelines. Dean of the College Carlos Alamo-Pastrana sent an email to students on Sept. 5, just a few days into the start of the semester, sharing regulations for using apps like Fizz. In the email, he stated, “While these platforms offer a space for dialogue, we ask that you exercise caution and consider how your words significantly impact others around you, even when anonymous.”
Dean Alamo continued to post the Vassar College Regulations along with a warning that Associate Dean of the College Luis Inoa also shared when discussing the app—it is not as anonymous as one might think. Inoa explained what prompted the email from Alamo: “The social media guidelines email sent on [Sept. 5] was sent to address a recent situation involving threatening language as well as multiple instances of defamatory and derogatory impersonation.”
Dean Inoa added, “While I can’t delve into specific information about instances due to privacy and other concerns, I can say that in addition to threatening language, there were some incredibly crude and offensive posts.”
Emma Youngblood ’26, a non-Fizz user, commented, “Though I think some fizz posts can be funny, and it may help people connect with each other, I think that the anonymous posting could potentially take a turn for the worst. I’ve seen that happen before on similar apps like Instagram where people hide behind anonymity to basically bully people or make them super uncomfortable. I don’t really want to watch anything like that happen.”
While most of the posts are harmless and light-hearted, a few have crossed the boundary of mockery and harassment. The app allows students to flag any post for removal should it be found threatening, targeted, biased, bullying, misinformation, spam or obscene content. Inoa ended his statement by sharing, “Fizz has been responsive to our requests to either remove posts that are threatening or harassing. They will also identify users when there are concerns which involve a crime.”
To the general Vassar community, Fizz is a fun way to share memes, compare hot takes about which building on campus is the most beautiful, and even learn about campus current events and functions, but it is important to keep it this way. Silverman-Lloyd highlighted the good nature of the app, stating, “The relatability of the content on Fizz feels like the hallmark of the app and lets all of us Vassar students connect with each other through shared campus experiences.”