STUDENTS REACT TO CAMPUS CONFESSION PAGES

James Klusener

@jamesklusener  

North-West University (NWU) is no stranger to gossip and confessions. The @nwu.confessions Instagram page currently has over 18 100 followers – suffice it to say, it attracts a lot of attention. If you look at their page and others like it, you’ll find a wide variety of confessions, ranging from abusive situations to conversations about sex and breakups. It can feel stomach-churning, but it is often exaggerated.   

One view on the topic came from Keo Maseko, a second-year student, who said that reading these confessions occasionally makes him laugh. “I do find them entertaining.” Conversely,

Bayede Khumalo, a second-year student, isn’t fully on board with these pages. He said, “I think those stories are a bit exaggerated, or they’re posting fake stories just for views, but sometimes they’re quite catchy.” Khumalo also felt “rage baited” by some of the stories shared and said that he prefers not to engage.   

As interesting as some confessions can be, it can at times feel distasteful to interact with these posts, but it is entirely natural. Humans have been gossiping for as long as language has been around. The NWU confessions page does tell us a little more about society than we may realise. 

A 2024 study from the Stanford Graduate School of Business suggests that gossip gives us an evolutionary edge by spreading useful information about the reputations of others, thereby encouraging others to be less selfish and more cooperative.    Their model shows that gossipers thrive because they can quickly identify and avoid selfish people, which basically forces everyone else to cooperate or become socially excluded.  However, gossip must be accurate, which is not always guaranteed. Ultimately, this form of gossip can be so effective that gossiping naturally evolved as a dominant trait in almost every human society.   

Example of a confession (Source: Instagram – nwu.confessions).

  Edited by Isabel Burgers