The newest Internet craze comes with a refreshing dose of kindness.
A slew of “compliment” pages have popped up on Facebook offering users the chance to anonymously post tidbits of flattery about others in their community.
“Ashley Gilmore is a remarkable person. She seems to have a smile and comforting word for everyone she meets, and I never cease to be amazed by her strength and positive supportive nature,” reads one message, posted on “Queen’s U Compliments,” thought to be the first “compliment” page of its kind.
Four students at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada created the page back in September in hopes of fostering a positive atmosphere amidst reports of bullying at the institution.
“We thought [Queen’s U Compliments] was a really great way to help students help other students,” Amanda Smurthwaite, one of the founders, told Time.
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Another founder, Rachel Albi, compared the page to “Pay It Forward,” the 2000 film that follows a young boy trying to improve the world by encouraging people to perform good deeds.
Since Queen’s U Compliment’s launch, the page has amassed over 4,500 friends, more than 1,000 compliments and hundreds of copycat pages.
Many major universities, including Columbia University, Penn State University and Brown University, have jumped on the trend, as well as several high schools across the U.S.
“There’s the potential that something like this could actually catch on and have a contagious effect in a positive sense,” Glenn Stutzky, a clinical instructor at Michigan State University’s School of Social Work, told the Detroit Free Press.
The pages remain anonymous by asking users to send their compliments directly to an inbox. Administrators then take the messages and tag them so they appear in the intended recipient’s News Feed.
Eyal Hanfling, a student at Walt Whitman High in Bethesda, Maryland, started a compliment page for his public high school after noticing similar pages on his Facebook.
“I was really worried that people would take advantage of the system and write horrible things about their classmates and peers,” he told NBC News.
But his classmates did just the opposite. The page racked up over 1,000 compliments before Hanfling shut it down four days after its launch.
“You’re one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever known. We grew so close last year and I love talking to you because you’re such a genuine listener. You’re an incredibly strong person and I really admire that. Never change! You’re amazing,” read one message.
Hanfling eventually closed the forum because he found the response overwhelming.
“I do not have enough hours in my day to copy and paste so many compliments,” he said.
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The newfound compliment craze is a far cry from the viciously negative sites that have hit college campuses in past years, such as JuicyCampus.com.
The gossip site, launched in 2007, allowed users to anonymously post rumors about their peers and classmates – and quickly grew to include over 500 campuses.
The site was forced to shut down two years later due to a lack of ad revenue and outside funding.
Stutzky said he hopes the compliment pages will teach people about the power of praise.
“There is so much negativity today, whether you see it on TV or in movies or even in just personal relationships. This is like a breath of fresh air,” he told Detroit Free Press.
“I like the idea of having something other than cyber-bullying. This is cyber-graciousness.”
