By Hannah Farrow
Trigger warning: Mentions of SASH, suicide
At the heart of the Australian National University’s campus culture, one digital platform has thrived, allowing students to share their thoughts, experiences, and confessions anonymously: ANU Confessions.
ANU Confessions is an anonymously run Facebook group that is dedicated to providing an outlet for student confessions. The page receives roughly between 30 to 60 confidential confessions daily and has 6.9K followers.
ANU Confessions started in 2019, following the closing of a previous version of the popular Facebook page. This version differs in that it cuts out the more targeted and ‘vicious’ frustrations that students have. Previously, similar accounts that were unaffiliated with this page and the University existed, which were shut down by the ANU as “Some of the “confessions” on the page contain[ed] graphic references to sexual violence against women” according to the Sydney Morning Herald in 2013.
The current admin, who is in the process of stepping down, has run ANU Confessions since 2020. In an exclusive interview with Observer, he shed light on his journey, motivations, challenges, and the impact of the page.
The administrator who goes by “Chris D’Admin*” recalled a rocky start, having navigated through challenges like the forced shutdown of an earlier version by the university.
He stated that the page can be an “outlet to feel safe… about university life and personal experiences at the ANU. ”
However, three years on from starting up the page, the administrator believes that “it’s about time to hand the page to younger hands.”
The administrator believes that one of the pivotal aspects of ANU Confessions is its role in serving the student community, and has even indirectly helped with the “establishment of clubs and societies, like the ‘Taylor Swift Society’ and ‘Choc Soc. ANU Crushes 3.0 was also established with the indirect help of my administrator-ship’”
Despite many positive aspects of the experience of running an account with a significant following and presence within the University, it has not come without instability or challenges according to the administrator.
Chris discussed this further stating that he had originally used “Crush Ninja” as a platform to have confessions sent in as it is a premier service that assists confessions pages. It also means that confessions are not able to be tracked once posted.
“Throughout 3 years of being admin, 3 times specifically there have been challenges with legal issues and Facebook strikes. There are certainly others including sleepless nights regarding certain students safety… some including bomb threats.”
“There were a flood of suicide posts and I thought there needed to be a better way as there were no means of checking in on these people. That’s when I stumbled on UniTruths, which sends automated texts for support. I still see them [the suicide posts], but the quantity has decreased.
The administrator also delved into the challenges he’s faced, such as student backlash and the ever-evolving policies of social media platforms like Facebook. He described the balancing act of content moderation, ensuring posts adhere to guidelines while respecting the freedom of expression.
ANU Confessions has been known to have received complaints in the past, for instance from residential hall staff regarding defamatory confessions to the 2020-2021 ANUSA BIPOC report, in which there were many inclusions of instances of racism within the report.
These topics prompted the administrator to “engage with ANUSA departments on how the page could improve and what feedback I could use. The last thing I want is people to feel unsafe… I do care about the community.”
Observer asked what advice the administrator had received to be able to effectively take on the role of moderator.
“I reached out to others…like Harvard Confessions and how they moderate certain subjects and topics. Also reached out to Oxfess about issues with balancing between allowing sensitive topics without attracting scorn of Mark Zuckerberg.”
The common advice from both pages was to avoid national and international politics and controversial subjects.
When asked how he deals with the more serious topics in their inbox, Chris said that a big part of the role is ensuring that the posts are handled responsibly.
Discussing this process he said that “it does take on average 20-40 minutes a day …assuming there are no serious topics that must be fleshed out a bit more and to keep an eye out for responses. Almost every single day. Providing support links for SASH, substance abuse and phone numbers for contacting which is protocol. There is a process to help things go smoothly.”
Observer also discussed what confessions were the administrators’ favourite to see sent in.
“Memes and ANU-related banter…Inter-Hall banter like tier lists of which have superior IB runners. “
Some of his least favourite included:
“Student politics or hall politics… I can’t make it public but there were situations where people were leaking information. Members of ANUSA have used ANU Confessions to go into explicit details about the union [ANUSA] or Halls. Some things have legal ramifications…so I was able to prevent that from making it through moderation otherwise it would’ve been disastrous.”
Reflecting on the changing landscape of the ANU, the administrator noted shifts in attitudes and behaviors, citing the advent of Kambri (ANU’s new precinct that replaced Union Court). As he was a student before the Covid-19 lockdowns, he’s seen “the cycles with the online community. There has certainly been a…shift in attitudes and behaviors.”
He mentioned that while ANU remains a political university, maintaining the page’s impartiality in political matters has been challenging.
An ANU Spokesperson stated that “This Facebook page is not affiliated with the University in any way. Oversight of its content sits with the site’s moderators.
Resources were also offered to students by the university: “There are a range of support options available to any student who needs them. Any student who is experiencing online bullying of any kind should reach out to the Student Safety and Wellbeing team.”
ANU Confessions, though anonymous, stands as a testament to the power of online platforms in fostering dialogue, sharing experiences, and building a sense of community. As the account is passed to new hands, the legacy of this digital space will continue to influence student culture at ANU.
*Not a real name
If this article raised any concerns, help is available:
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Headspace: 1800 650 890
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
ANU Wellbeing & Support: 1300 050 327
ANU Wellbeing & Support (International): +61 488 884 170 (text)
Canberra Rape Crisis Centre: 6247 2525
1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732
Respectful Relationships Unit: [email protected]
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