Written for Sooner yearbook online.

“I view the page kind of like a party, and anonymity is the alcohol.”

The administrator of OU Confessions, who started hosting this “party” in February 2013, certainly has a lot of guests to look after. While he does have some help managing the hundreds of posts that come in every day, it is his responsibility to keep students interested in the page.

“I am a gardener,” he says, “I tend and take care of pieces of the page that need growth, and I pluck out the weeds that limit growth.”

He says his goal is not to control the page, but to help it become what users want it to be. “The only reason I exist is to serve the community what they want. So if people want to use the page for more functionality it’s my job to deliver on those needs.” The functionality he is referring to in this case is the use of the page as a place to post missed connections or, more accurately, as a way to hit on someone without fear of rejection, and according to him there have been some success stories.

More frequently, connections made on OU Confessions are budding friendships after discovering they have a shared interest or view on a certain subject. Microbiology senior Chelsae Mae says she got a friend request after commenting on a confession about “listening to Tegan and Sara religiously.”

“I like seeing how weird and awkward other people are, and the way that commenters find comfort and community with these things that they have in common,” Mae says. “It definitely gives me a sense of community with fellow students even if I never talk to them.”

Another user started making connections after he was the subject of multiple confessions. He is known on the page as “David Bowie”, but his real name is David Hunt, a film and media studies sophomore. His androgynous, glam rock appearance attracted the attention of students on campus, but according to him he was still “very mysterious figure on campus” until people started posting their opinion of him on OU Confessions. The confessions about him resurrected his dream of being a musician.

“I remember the first “David Bowie” confession I saw,” Hunt recalls. “I was really quite surprised. And it was nice, for a change. There was only one real mean confession about me on that page, and it worked like magic to only increase the awareness of my presence on campus, which was nice. The man who wrote that bizarre and rude confession about that “faggot” — as he called me — really did me a favor. He made me even more controversial! And there’s nothing better than being controversial when you’re trying to become famous!”

Hunt says his popularity has increased greatly since the confessions were posted. “I’ve made a ton of friends on Facebook because of the whole thing and in real life, and a lot of them came from OU Confessions,” he says.

The confessions range from surprising to heartwarming to silly to stupid and everywhere in between. The question is, are they true? It’s debatable, but for the administrator it doesn’t really matter.

“The way I see it, a confession is like filming a scene,” he explains. “When two directors film a scene they can do so in an innumerable amount of ways. They can change the lighting, camera angles, actors, editing, music, etc., which can change one’s impression of the story. So I would say to focus on the impression, or goal of the confessions rather than its truth or authenticity. Because there is no way we can ever prove if it’s true, but we can see why they posted it.”

The question of authenticity has become less relevant as the page has evolved into a Reddit-esque home for jokes and trolls. Not everyone thinks this was a good change.

According to Hunt, the experience was valuable when people were able to share their darkest secrets. “But, after a while, everything went to hell in a handbasket,” he says. “Troll accounts, like Lord Lucifer, use ‘humor’ to make fun of people’s confessions. Sometimes, you can’t help but laugh, but most people aren’t cut out to make fun of others. They don’t have the correct software to be able to sense if another person is really upset so they may say things that really hurt that person.”

Bree Cooper, a chemical engineering freshman, likes that the page has gotten funnier. “I really do enjoy the humor in most of them,” Cooper says. “Going from class to class all day, I really enjoy having something hilarious to read.” She says she does not like it when people start to bash each other though, which has become a concern on the page.

“The real people, with real accounts, tend to be some of the harshest of all,” Hunt says. “Very critical, very cruel sometimes. Very little regard for the other person, very little compassion.”

Compassion is something Cassie Kralicek, a chemical engineering senior, would like to see more. “It could be valuable if those who have serious confessions make connections via the page with people who can help them with their issues,’ Kralicek says. “I mostly hope those that post real confessions get the help they seek.”

The administrator of the page wants to see more humor on the page because he believes is serves an important purpose.

“The very structure of humor, which is the flexibility of the ego, is a way to critique ideas,” he explains. “So, when an idea is critiqued using humor not only does it critique an idea and challenge it, it also entertains us.” He says that critiquing ideas in this manner prevents the debate from becoming repetitive and keeps people from getting defensive.

The administrator certainly has a lot to keep track of with this ever-evolving page, but he does appreciate what it is all about. “For me, I’m probably Jeffery Beaumont [the central character in “Blue Velvet”] incarnate, and getting glimpse into these secret worlds is really exciting for me.”

It seems there is more excitement in the works, too. “In a month, everything will change,” he says, “so just be prepared for an announcement.”