GUTTER GOSSIP

THE LATEST IN DIGITAL GOSSIP
By Meghan Calvagna

Whispers could be heard around Monmouth College this week regarding the new “gutter gossip” site that is capturing the attention of students at colleges across the country: collegeacb.com. The site is intended for students to write about school activities and recent events. However the site has turned into an all out bashing war. Everyone from students to teachers have been included in this electronic burn book.

Sarah Wintersteen, a junior at Monmouth College, was surprised and angry to find her name on the blog. “I think it is inappropriate. If you have something to say to someone say it to their face not online behind a computer screen.” The posting on the blog referred to her weight and other mean spirited topics. “Call me names all you want but don’t poke fun at my weight,” Sarah said. “I don’t want to eat in front of people anymore, wondering if they really think that about me.”

The official name for the site is College Anonymous Confession Board, or the ACB. The site claims that “It is quickly becoming the central hub of college campuses around the country, giving students the freedom to voice their opinions and ask questions about any facet of college life.”

One blogger described the site as “a more technological version of bathroom stalls, and the sides of bridges.”

But not everyone is using the site for negative and filthy comments. Others have risen above this, finding a sense of humor about the site.

“We are going to start creating new and better stories about ourselves,” says Melissa Krage, with chuckles and agreeing nods coming from friends around her. “I just love to hear that my life is so good that people need to write about it” commented Josh Van Swol. “I’m going to write about myself all the time.”

Whatever the reason for this site’s hate mentality, it is quite apparent that the majority of students around Monmouth College are utterly disgusted by the blog, calling it a high school approach to the latest trend in digital gossip.

XOXO
Gossip Girl