For just under the span of two weeks, Twitter followers around campus were introduced to a new account called Shepherd Crushes.
The Twitter account was created with the intention for anonymous admirers to express latent feelings. Using a link from a site called Survey Monkey, anyone could write a note less than 140 characters and it would be posted onto the account without divulging that person’s name or location.
Yet though the perfect ideal of the crushes account was to be used for positive campus feedback, it quickly grew distasteful and vulgar. Most of the posts became explicit and some even bordered the lines of sexual harassment. Shepherd Crushes should have been called Shepherd Lust instead.
Shepherd isn’t the only school to access this growing trend. Several universities and even high schools across the country are getting into the fad. While the college level may not be so much of a concern, it is alarming to see posts from Martinsburg Crushes about underage teens making rough sexual comments about peers and professors. According to Washington High School’s crush account, it even directly originated as a result of Shepherd’s.
Twitter has been a bittersweet social media tool and in contexts like these, it emphasizes how powerful technology can be. User Honeyhairedlove stated, “Thank God Shepherd Crushes is anonymous or else no one would be in class. Half would be fighting and the other half would be having sex.”
The ability to remain anonymous creates a type of autonomy that is almost unflinching. As many of the posts on the Shepherd Crushes feed showcased, in this situation, sexual obscurity releases the hounds.
The Twitter account Shepherd Crushes is the equivalency of the missed connections section of Craigslist. Except the nude photographs and phone numbers, all that these crush accounts have done is simply brought this type of shame to the university and collegiate level.
Had it been monitored with an ounce of respect and decency, perhaps the account could have been kept a functional trend. Some of the recipients of the posts were actually flattered at some of the more respectable comments, so it supports the idea that this type of account is still fairly desirable.
Yet having such an explicit media outlet does also scratch at the surface of the age-old debate of exercising freedom of speech. However, though free expression is important, so is maintaining a level of respect and maturity. In addition, the fact that the school’s name is attached to these accounts without permission creates an even larger issue.
By association, any students, parents, or personnel could be affected by the distasteful words on such accounts. The posts are so uncouth and create a vile reputation for the entire campus, and that just isn’t fair.
Shepherd Crushes was shut down a little before the end of March and other school accounts are going right behind them. WVU had a similar account that was disabled on April 1.
Perhaps if many of the followers wanted to exercise their right to express anonymous feelings, they could do it in a much nicer format. Attaching Shepherd’s name to the account, though, probably wouldn’t be the best idea.
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