“(Social networks) are all a function of ‘look at me,’” he said. “There wasn’t really a whole lot out there that people were willing to be authentic (about), so we thought: ‘What a great idea to build this platform where people could go on and say what’s really going on with them.’”

Heyward said Whisper App requires no more personal information than any other site and has untraceable submissions.

The app has become popular, approaching 100,000 users.

With a high number of users, Heyward said not all submissions will be appropriate to post. To ensure posts remain user friendly, Whisper App employs a 24-hour, real-time surveillance team to filter through all submissions. The app also uses text and image analysis in real time to catch words that might suggest inappropriate content.

Any submissions that suggest a student might be in danger are taken seriously, Heyward said.
“(The) user gets a watermark of that submission that will give them resources that has to do with (the issue) they submitted — eating disorder information, suicide hotline, any issues young people are dealing with,” he said.

When it comes to public reaction, not all posts are created equal. Psychology sophomore Michelle Purdu said the extremity of some posts hinders their relatability.

“I think most of (the posts) are made up anyway, and the extreme ones are just a joke,” she said.

Journalism freshman Rachel Tang said the app is a good forum for students wishing to express themselves, but she also questions post authenticity.

“Anything that’s really bizarre tends to trend in this school,” she said.

Heyward said the anonymity of the app generally discourages users from fabricating submissions.
He said the app is more for students to connect with each other in a way that might not be comfortable in their regular online networking.

“College is a time a lot of young people are finding themselves and discovering who they are,” he said. “A lot of times, I think people have a lot of ideas in their mind (of) what college is and isn’t about. It’s very refreshing for people to go on (Whisper App) and see they aren’t alone in their thoughts.”

Tang said she thinks the app can help students connect and understand each other both on campus and outside the university.

“You could be anywhere in the world, and I’m pretty sure someone has that same problem,” she said. “Telling someone without inflicting trouble for yourself is a good way to express yourself.”
Whisper App now is available on iTunes.