Anonymous Whispers: A Critical Discourse Analysis on Digital Gossip in Select Philippine University Freedom Walls

Proponent/s Name/s (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Ryanne Gabrielle J. Roxas, De La Salle UniversityFollow
Erica Gabryelle B. Lingad, De La Salle UniversityFollow
Kean Christof Ramon L. Santiago, De La Salle UniversityFollow
Ma. Samantha Raine Esquejo Soliman, De La Salle UniversityFollow
Belle Beatrix Alemania, De La Salle UniversityFollow

Document Type

Paper Presentation

Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Alemania, Belle Beatriex’ M.

Abstract/Executive Summary

The anonymity afforded by university freedom walls proliferates 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 analyzed 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

anonymity; digital gossip; freedom wall; linguistic features; social hierarchies