Anonymous Whispers: A Critical Discourse Analysis on Digital Gossip in Select Philippine University Freedom Walls
Document Types
Paper Presentation
School Name
De La Salle University, Manila
Track or Strand
Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS)
Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)
Alemania, Belle Beatriex' M.
Start Date
25-6-2025 1:00 PM
End Date
25-6-2025 2:30 PM
Zoom Link/ Room Assignment
https://zoom.us/j/91582616739 / Meeting ID: 915 8261 6739
Abstract/Executive Summary
The anonymity afforded by university freedom walls has proliferated the spread of information and digital gossip, actively shaping ideologies surrounding campus hierarchies—an influence that remains critically underexplored in academic research. This study addresses that gap by seeking to understand how freedom walls function as a form of discourse that constructs and negotiates hierarchical ideologies within academic communities. It analyzes 18 purposively sampled posts from the three most followed Facebook freedom walls of universities in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), namely the University of the Philippines Diliman (UP), National University (NU), and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). Using Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study examined the posts on three levels: linguistic features at the textual level, the role of anonymity in fostering discourse at the discursive level, and emerging themes related to social hierarchies at the social practice level. Findings reveal a prevalence of negatively charged emotional language, power-related terms like “privilege,” and categorical words that divide communities. Linguistic features such as informal language, hyperbole, sarcasm, mockery, and humor illustrate how anonymity shapes the unrestrained discourse on topics that shape hierarchical ideologies, such as socioeconomic privilege, faculty conduct, interschool rivalries, and departmental status, without fear of reprisal. While freedom walls facilitate open student discourse, they also raise concerns of cyberbullying, misinformation, and privacy violations that can negatively affect the campus environment. Thus, there is a need for critical awareness, integration of digital literacy in education, and an established systematic administrative process that ensures accountability amidst anonymous settings.
Keywords
digital gossip; freedom wall; anonymity; linguistic features; social hierarchies
Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)
Media and Philippine Studies (MPS)
Initial Consent for Publication
yes
Statement of Originality
yes
Anonymous Whispers: A Critical Discourse Analysis on Digital Gossip in Select Philippine University Freedom Walls
The anonymity afforded by university freedom walls has proliferated the spread of information and digital gossip, actively shaping ideologies surrounding campus hierarchies—an influence that remains critically underexplored in academic research. This study addresses that gap by seeking to understand how freedom walls function as a form of discourse that constructs and negotiates hierarchical ideologies within academic communities. It analyzes 18 purposively sampled posts from the three most followed Facebook freedom walls of universities in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), namely the University of the Philippines Diliman (UP), National University (NU), and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). Using Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study examined the posts on three levels: linguistic features at the textual level, the role of anonymity in fostering discourse at the discursive level, and emerging themes related to social hierarchies at the social practice level. Findings reveal a prevalence of negatively charged emotional language, power-related terms like “privilege,” and categorical words that divide communities. Linguistic features such as informal language, hyperbole, sarcasm, mockery, and humor illustrate how anonymity shapes the unrestrained discourse on topics that shape hierarchical ideologies, such as socioeconomic privilege, faculty conduct, interschool rivalries, and departmental status, without fear of reprisal. While freedom walls facilitate open student discourse, they also raise concerns of cyberbullying, misinformation, and privacy violations that can negatively affect the campus environment. Thus, there is a need for critical awareness, integration of digital literacy in education, and an established systematic administrative process that ensures accountability amidst anonymous settings.
https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2025/paper_mps/11
