Sidechat or Yik Yak (both owned by Flower Avenue Inc.) are Cornell’s famously faceless apps: The one (virtual) place on campus where majors, internships and LinkedIn connections fall victim to anonymity. Your resume does not lead to more upvotes. In some way, all of us have interacted with the unfiltered, occasionally egregious discussions that take place on Sidechat on a daily basis. We come together on Sidechat like sheep in an ever-so-chatty herd before finals, class registration and/or a dreaded snowstorm to make jokes, post memes and share in our collective misery. Whether we are posting on Sidechat or simply scrolling, no one can deny the comfort of community in the slightly smiling purple face with a singular blue teardrop.
I spoke to multiple students on how they use the social platform. Sophia Romanov Imber ’28 said, “Sidechat is positive in the sense that you can find a community online that feels very niche to Cornell, unlike other social media platforms where there’s more content mediation.” Romanov Imber, like many other Cornellians, finds comfort in knowing that slipping on the Slope in Uggs is far from a unique experience. Though frequency of usage varies, Sidechat provides an unparalleled safe space for expressing our most vulnerable and Cornell-exclusive thoughts.
For example, our most fearsome snowstorm this Spring semester was met with collective agreement on Sidechat that class should be cancelled the next day. The Cornell Sidechat homepage swarmed with outrage, annoyance and acceptance of defeat to the wrath of Mother Nature. It reminded us that we are all equals struggling to survive hectic schedules in an Arctic-like climate, with general fatigue and no delivery drivers nearby on Uber Eats to revive our motivation. On prelim study days, when 60-degree weather wraps us in its sunny embrace, only to be struck down by torrential downpour 20 minutes later, Sidechat provides a platform for Cornellians to share their despair.
Similarly, when everyone’s favorite spot in Collegetown has restocked a well-loved menu item, you can be sure to find someone’s brutally honest (and extremely helpful) review at the top of new posts. Unlike Instagram comment sections or Reddit threads, Sidechat is instantly interactive. I’ve also found it to be surprisingly more informative than real-life conversations at times. Romanov Imber continued, “Someone made a post about a class last semester and I sent a private message asking about their experience, and they actually gave me a really long list of their experience with the homework, prelims and general course content.”
One day, when I desperately posted that I was in need of travel sized shampoo and body wash for a trip I had planned for later that same day, an anonymous savior replied swiftly that The Cornell Store had it in stock, and I owe them more than they will ever know. I also remember when I was hunting for the most tolerable (and least devilish) STEM class for humanities students to fulfill distribution requirements, and Sidechat immediately came to the rescue. The app also functions as Cornell’s digital lost and found. “Maybe if someone lost their bike or left their ID somewhere, they would help get it back to that person,” Zachary Ali ‘27 noted.
Plus, if we are ever feeling socially isolated, community can almost always be found on Sidechat, as discussions are often related to popular events, classes and Cornell’s own campus celebrities. For example, sightings of Cornell Batman — the anonymous campus superhero striving to make a difference by boosting student morale — never cease on the forum that never sleeps. At the same time, among a sea of unfiltered takes, students have no reason to hide their true feelings behind the screen of anonymity. Their identity is protected, and so are their unpopular opinions, arguably making it the perfect forum for the distribution of negativity. It is the swiftest way to offer unsolicited advice or insensitive opinions with no personal consequences whatsoever.
It is perhaps the only space on campus where you don’t have to feel judgment for sharing your opinions — the anonymous forum is a sort of haven, or even a form of “cultural osmosis,” as Romanov Imber described. However, anonymity also invites hostile and unsolicited responses, when people take advantage of the freedom to speak without accountability. For instance, waves of unwarranted criticism can flood a hot topic, such as during rush season for Greek life. While I acknowledge the downsides, I still advocate for Sidechat’s presence in every Cornellian’s social media rotation.
Indeed, people from all corners of campus are brought together by a shared sense of belonging, whether that involves extensive academic victimization via 18-hour problem sets or heated “Is Pegging Gay?” debates. After all, how could we survive the seriousness of life at Cornell without niche cultural moments to unite us?
A strange, unparalleled community lies within the hearts of Sidechat stalkers like myself, and for one reason or another, we should all be thankful for its existence.
Selina Chen is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at sc3543@cornell.edu.
