Its users can be found hiding behind a screen, where hundreds of others line the queue into this popular new app. Known for its simplicity of questionnaires and better yet for many users, its anonymity, the race to acquire a seat in the secret society of PollChat is growing by the day. Once the waiting period is over, students across all grade levels are free to post and can create content about whatever – and whoever – they want.
PollChat is an app that consists of endless scrolling on a feed that contains polls over unlimited content. This creates an easy way for students throughout the building to make remarks about their peers without suffering the consequences that one without a protective shield coated with anonymity might. Polls creating rumors about fellow students allow a way for the app’s users to vote on “Who gets around the most?” “Who’s the biggest player?” or “Who’s the most likely to get expelled?” The list of possible questions goes on and so does the negativity of the polls.
One sophomore has witnessed the dangers of the app firsthand. [The Mill Stream does not identify subjects who have been victims of abuse.] This student learned that the app is all fun and games, until it isn’t.
“Truly, the app can be hurtful. At first, I thought it was going to be a funny thing where you can share [posts] with friends, but then it became a whole situation of talking about others,” the sophomore said.
With the security of a hidden identity, PollChat users can easily make comments without experiencing the same consequences as the mask of anonymity would. Cyberbullying is a frequently seen hazard of popular social media apps like Instagram. The addition of PollChat to the world of social media has led to an upsurge of bullying, and consequently more people are being harmed.
Even students who have not been directly involved are seeing and experiencing the consequences of PollChat. Sophomore Jackie Tret is aware of the app and the problems that are caused by it. However, Tret can’t help but picture herself in the victims’ positions.
“When seeing other people’s names [on the app] I just wonder, ‘Well what if that was my name up there?’” Tret said.
While students don’t have the power to take down the app, NHS social worker Akwete Purifoy states that the school is aware of PollChat and student reports are appreciated. While much of the information about incidents involving the app are confidential, Purifoy still advises any students involved to make reports. She says that even if problems with the app are not directly related to school matters, any information is useful.
“Student services is always a place you can go if something is happening,” Purifoy said. “It’s a place to report and find help even if something is occurring outside of school.”
The sophomore victim of PollChat embraces the concept of moving forward, but also feels like no one can see the changes in their life.
“I know my past, I haven’t been the smartest, but I’ve tried to grow from that. But, people just don’t see that, they don’t realize the fact that they’re being a bully. They only think about themselves,” the sophomore said. “I don’t really talk to anyone anymore, I’m a bit socially awkward now, so when I saw that it kind of hurt me.”
