Have you heard of WikiLeaks and Post Secret? If not, you should check them out because I think they are two fascinating websites. WikiLeaks, according to their website (www.wikileaks.org) is, “a multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public.”
Post Secret, according to Wikipedia is, “an ongoing community mail art project, created by Frank Warren, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on a homemade postcard.” After spending more time on each website, I found them particularly interesting within the context of the fraternal world.
Specifically, what if there were SororityLeaks or Fraternity PostSecret websites? WikiLeaks strives to produce, “a level of transparency in government activities which leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies.” What if sorority members were able to post any type of corruption within their chapters or even within their inter/national organizations? In the past, the risks of conveying information deemed “important” or potentially “corrupt” used to be a risk that could have lead to hazing and/or a loss of membership. Women wouldn’t want a “tattletale” within their organization. Now with technology and anonymous internet capabilities, we could really start to see what is going on within sororities…and fraternities. This is not to say that such dishonest or shady things are occurring within sororities or fraternities, but what if such a website was created. Would there be corrupt and or unethical decision making occurring? Would anyone “leak” documents of faulty behavior? Could this help reduce hazing, forced drinking, etc?
In similar fashion, what if there was a fraternity PostSecret website? How neat that would be? Too often men have grown up in a society where they are taught not to share their emotions and feelings. Doing so was (and in some circumstances, still is) considered weak or “unmanly.” Yet, what if there was a website where their secrets could be unleashed? All secrets on the website would be from fraternity men. What secrets would be told? What secrets may you want to share? Again, this idea could obviously be created for sororities as well. Heck, it may be even more popular for the women. As stated in Wikipedia, “According to Youth Trends' February 2008 "Top Ten List Report" PostSecret was the 10th most popular site amongst female students in the USA, with 7% of those polled naming the site as their favorite.” The age range for the Youth Trends report…18-24.
In closing, I find each of these sights unique in their own way. WikiLeaks has found a way to hold governments accountable while PostSecret provides an avenue for people to share their secret to the world. Should there be similar websites for fraternities and sororities? Would it help the fraternal world? Time will tell I suppose. Thanks for reading.
Links:
WikiLeaks: http://wikileaks.org
PostSecret: www.postsecret.com
Youth Trends Report: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1005972
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