The Facebook page JHU Compliments, which in the last month has accrued over 900 friends, has become a center of online attention among undergraduate students on the Homewood campus.
The page is a way for students to send compliments to their peers anonymously.
The formula is simple: all one must do is send a private Facebook message containing the compliment and its recipient to the JHU Compliments account; the proprietor of the account, who has chosen to remain anonymous, then posts the compliment as a status.
The compliments themselves vary from frivolous quips — “[Sophomore] Sammy Hirsch has the most mesmerizing eyes, more blue than the rising tides of the inner harbor” reads one — to genuine confessions of appreciation. Administrators of the page post around five or six per day; nearly all accumulate Likes and the occasional appreciative comment from the subject of the compliment itself.
The idea for the page originated as a “social experiment” at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. From there it spread to Columbia, Northwestern, and the University of Pennsylvania; the Hopkins version of the page was created over Thanksgiving break.
“With finals approaching and high stress levels on our campus, Hopkins students are in need of a boost,” a representative for the page said in a Facebook message to The News-Letter.
The representative for the page has chosen to keep mum about his or her own identity along with the identities of anyone else who might be working behind the scenes of the page.
“JHU Compliments is not about members of a particular class year, gender, or social group. It is about uniting people of the Hopkins community and spreading uplifting thoughts about those around us. Our identities are not necessary,” the representative for the page wrote.
For those wondering why they never got a friend request from the account, the JHU Compliments only sent friend requests to people in its initial stages, according to the page’s representative. Now it finds itself on the receiving end of a slew of requests, all of which are accepted.
Sophomore Nikhil Gupta is one of many people to have received a cyber pat on the back via the JHU Compliments account.
“Nikhil Gupta will be famous one day,” it read simply.
“Getting compliments is always a good thing. I saw it and it made me smile. It’s always nice to get a shout-out from someone you don’t know,” Gupta said.
Gupta also sees JHU Compliments as a means of reminding the student body of its positive qualities.
“My favorite thing about Hopkins is the students, and I think there are a lot of compliments to go around. I hope there are many, many more to come,” Gupta said.
Even people who have not yet directly been addressed by the JHU Compliments page feel the impact of the page on campus. Freshman Tyler Gaines heard about the Facebook page from her friends and now sees it dominating her News Feed.
“JHU Compliments is great because it allows people of the Hopkins community to hear about their good qualities. Seeing people just send around random acts of kindness — now that’s what the holidays are all about,” Gaines said.
However, some have expressed concerns that the page is just a passing fad: a counterweight to the hype of more caustic sites like CollegiateACB, with a similar shelf life.
“Realistically looking at it, I’m not sure how long it’s going to last, just because the nature of Facebook and these kind of efforts get popular for a while, and then sort of die off,” Gupta said.
Currently, though, the biggest question on campus surrounding the page seems to be the issue of who is behind it.
Allegations both public and private have been spreading regarding the identity of the individual — or group of individuals — who posts the compliments to the page. There have been multiple reports of students attempting to trick their friends into revealing any information on the subject that they may know.
“I just want to know who it is,” Gaines said. “Who is reading these compliments?”
Some, however, relish the enigma of it.
“The anonymous nature adds something to it. I think there’s something cool about not knowing who is seeing it and who is sending it,” Gupta said.
At present, the site is not perfect. Some students report delays in the posting of compliments. Freshman Ike Amakiri is still waiting anxiously for his compliment to be posted.
“I’m nervous to see what the reaction to my compliment will be. I think the site is a great idea, but it takes too long,” Amakiri said.
But even with its flaws, one thing is clear: there are plenty of compliments to go around about Hopkins students.
“For those who have expressed disdain for this concept — there is no need to friend us. If an individual is not interested in sending or receiving compliments, that is his/her personal choice,” the representative for the page said.
