CONFESSIONS, confessions, confessions. Everyone has dirty little secrets, and some people have decided to share them.

By now, if you haven’t heard or seen the facebook page, use the GIYF (Google is your friend) advice and browse the Swansea Uni Confessions page.

The page is a platform made for Swansea University students to anonymously submit stories about themselves or friends, usually to air their dirty laundry, and has more than 2,000 likes.

The pages description reads: “Private message us your most disgusting, hilarious, embarrassing confessions from Swansea University! It will be posted ANONYMOUSLY on our page. So don’t be shy, let’s just have a laugh.”

During early October, confession pages were set up at universities across the UK. The pages have seen a similar rise in popularity as the university meme facebook trend earlier this year.

The stories tell tales of drunk blunders, sexual fiascos and student pranks. Many of the stories published have been explicit and sexually related, causing controversy and divided opinions.

Third year Politics and Social Policy student, Rob Abrams, has said that the page is demeaning for women students reading the stories:

“Swansea Uni Confessions has mostly been publishing stories that have included demeaning remarks about female students and has in that way contributed to some of the most negative aspects of ‘lad culture’.

“I think it proves to us how much more respect so many male students on campus need to learn for women. Personally, I’m disgusted by a lot of the things posted on the page.”

NUS vice-president, Toni Pearce, comments similarly on lads’ websites that argue that their misogyny is meant in good humour:
“The casual trivialization of these despicable insults normalises dismissive attitudes towards women and perpetuates the idea that anyone who complains about sexual violence is humourless.”. 

The disclaimer on the page states: “This page is in no way shape or form related or aimed to harm the reputation of Swansea University, its faculty, its pupils or any affiliated bodies.”

In mid-October, the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at Swansea University, Mr Raymond Ciborowski, sent out an email in regards to “facebook pages featuring the university”.

The email stated that students of Swansea University are “expected to observe the University’s Regulations in respect of [your] conduct both, on, and away from, campus.”

In addition, the email said the “use of social media that is deemed to be offensive (including racial comments) indecent, and/or which brings the university’s reputation into disrepute, will be treated very seriously and referred under the university’s Disciplinary Procedures.”

“In addition to these disciplinary consequences, you should remember that irresponsible use of social media can have a detrimental effect on your future employment prospects. 30 % of HR Directors now use social media to recruit candidates, and 22% check candidates’ online activity. Companies are increasingly searching for information on job applicants.”

Since then, Mr Ciborowski and students’ union president, Tom Upton, have issued a joint a statement on the Swansea Uni Confessions page:
“We are seriously concerned about the nature and content of the page, on several fronts. Students are sharing personal information (including explicit content) with an anonymous page administrator, who has no accountability.

“There is no evidence that the page administrator is even a fellow student.

“University regulations clearly state that it is a disciplinary offence to engage in behaviour which could bring the university into disrepute – this includes social media activity.”

Some students have raised concerns that the criticisms on the page do have larger implications on the freedom of speech.

But the joint statement said: “The internet and social media are governed by laws relating to defamation and public order, and as a result, there is no such thing as absolute freedom of speech.”

Josh Osbourne, second year Business Management student, says that if people have a problem with the page’s posts, then they should not look at it:

“I think everyone enjoys it. That’s why most universities have them. This argument is quite futile, it’s like porn… if you don’t like it, don’t look at it.”

Tom Giffard, third year History and Politics student, said: “This discussion [on freedom of speech] goes on, regardless of whether it’s on facebook or in the street. It doesn’t (or at least I hope) have an effect on most student’s lives and safety. Unfortunately, some crude people exist in the world, but we can’t ban free speech.”

The argument stands that the posts are a reflection of the individuals themselves rather than the image of the university.

Do the attacks on pages such as these have bigger implications on free speech? Should students become aware of how much they are posting online? Should they consider the implications of their posts to a wider audience? These pages will have consequences which may set a precedent on how institutions will deal with copy-cat pages in the future.