Whisper gives students opportunity to connect

By Melody Bailiff | @MelodyBailiff

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Since its launch in May, college students across the country have been connecting with each other through a Whisper.

Whisper, a mobile-only application where students are able to upload their inner-most thoughts and secrets, is intended to create a sense of unity among students on campus by creating an anonymous platform for discussion of topics that may be challenging to bring up in social settings and on other social media outlets.

Michael Heyward, co-founder of Whisper, saw current social networking outlets such as Facebook and Twitter portraying “perfect” versions of peers and not necessarily the reality of what students go through on a daily basis, Whisper spokeswoman Sarah Attman said.

In an email to the Kernel, Heyward said “One way college students can really take advantage of Whisper is by being honest in their posts and engaging others on the platform.”

Whisper also includes a “nearby” feature where students are able to state their location. The location could be as broad as “Kentucky” or as specific as “Willy T. Library.”

Attman stressed that the “nearby” feature has been bringing students on campus together.

Users can feel a sense of relief seeing others around them are going to the same places and feeling the same way about events, she said.

In response to concerns about cyberbullying, Attman said, “We are always working on making Whisper better.

Whisper works really hard to make sure the content is suitable. The software recognizes certain images and language, and Whisper is usually able to monitor that.”

Whisper has set up representatives at 16 college campuses so far, hiring students on campus to manage the pages and help Whisper expand.

Attman said Whisper will be setting up a UK Facebook page soon and encouraged students to check out the pages already made.

For more information, visit @WhisperApp on Twitter or whisper-app.com.