For those unfamiliar with New Trier Compliments, here’s a quick overview: New Trier Compliments is a Facebook account that posts anonymous compliments to those of us in the New Trier community submitted by other New Trier students. Inspired by a similar effort at Queens University in Ontario, Canada, this fad has hit college campuses and high schools alike. New Trier Compliments joined Facebook on Dec 28, 2012 and has already racked up 1,652 friends as of press time.
Many posts induce eye rolls, are inherently cheesy, and are full of lofty superlatives that are simply unrealistic (i.e. “You are the prettiest girl ever.” Has this anonymous poster seen Selma from “The Bachelor”? We think not.). But let’s not get cynical here.
That is the main problem here. Our world is full of liars and jerks, whether they are politicians or athletes. Regardless of what actually happened in the Manti Te’o Catfish hoax (wait, why are we still talking about that?), or to whom and how many times Lance Armstrong lied, it is obvious that dishonesty is a common problem in our country. This is especially true, and has become increasingly public, with the evolution of the internet. We have grown up as social media has, itself, grown up. MySpace was born when we were eight, reached its peak when we were twelve, and then crashed and burned as we learned to drive.
With this coming of age for both social media and us, we have been taught, rightly so, to be critical and weary of certain aspects of the internet. Don’t trust what you read on the internet or Maybe that person you have a relationship with on the internet is a guy, not a girl. Whatever the case may be, we are learning, through much trial and error, that there are problems with the internet; everything is not the way it seems, people are not inherently good, and you can’t tell the gender of someone through a computer screen.
Turning back to New Trier Compliments, it’s a harmless and goodhearted extension of Facebook in the lovely and modest (no, that’s not the right word), affluent North Shore community. Those opposed to New Trier Compliments say it’s pointless and fake. Why project your feelings for someone anonymously over the internet when it’s more sincere to say it in person? The answer for that is unclear. The better question, though, is why not?
Because each submission is reviewed, only positive posts are allowed. During the stressful years of high school, a little positive reinforcement can only help. The compliments only build confidence, and what’s wrong with that?
Other opponents of the account say that it’s only one group of friends who seems to be getting all the compliments. But anyone can send in a compliment to the account
Social media is a part of our daily lives, whether it’s Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or, gasp, MySpace. And then there is Formspring: a forum designed, intentionally or unintentionally, for people to anonymously write their true, and often hurtful (or sometimes quite creepy) feelings about other people. Surely New Trier Compliments is a significant step up from this shady operation.
So why, when an aspect of social media like New Trier Compliments is actually doing something good, do we put it down? Sure, it’s cheesy and repetitive, but does that really matter? It’s the anti-cyber-bullying, the anti-Formspring. It’s harmless. Let’s embrace it. Besides, like any other internet fad, it’s not likely to be around too long.