What Happened to the Confessions Page?

Anonymous

Obama Academy Real Talk has been deleted, and this has left us with a variety of unanswered questions. I spoke with Hanna, the owner of the account, to resolve them.

Our interview started at the beginning. Hanna explained that she had not started the account, but a friend had, and then gave her access to the account after it got to about 90 followers. Regarding her anonymity, she said, “every other confession page before this one had chosen to be anonymous. It was a smart idea, less insults thrown at you, less threats, no one minds talking to a faceless accounts.” Hanna then explained that Admin. and the school never reached out to her regarding the account. Taking posts down and deleting the account were always her decision. I then asked, “what level of responsibility do you feel you hold for things that have started on the confessions page?” To which she responded with, “I really try to keep it up to the other students. If I feel someone is in danger of hurting themselves or others, I will go out of my way to send resources or check up on them. I don’t feel responsible for lost friendships. If you would rather come to a complete stranger than your friend, maybe it’s for the best.”

Finally, I asked the big question, “why did you delete the account?” Hanna replied honestly. “I was getting more threats and hatred sent to me after someone sent in a racist message about [a teacher]. I posted the sender’s profile but they deleted their account. People saw that as me supporting their ideas and message.” Hanna wants everybody to know that,  “only one person has ever sent me hate [to post]…I didn’t want to post hateful things. I thought of it as a learning tool. You act hateful: you lose your anonymity. I am human. People have been treating me less than such. You can express to me your feelings and opinions. I won’t fight or argue about it. I think your feelings and opinions are completely valid. The second they turn hateful, they aren’t just opinions.” 

The deletion of the confessions page marks the end of an era, but it has become so integral to Obama culture that it seems improbable that some variant will not come to fill its shoes. That poses some serious questions. When? What? Will it be as mindfully run as the confessions page?