Everytime is a popular application used by many university students in Korea which fosters an online community within a specific collegiate institute. There are many features within the app – one of the most prominent being the open bulletin board, where anyone can anonymously ask questions or share one’s opinions. However, there have been growing concerns that Everytime is no longer serving its original purpose and instead encouraging conflict under the guise of anonymity.
Because humans are social creatures, most people feel comfort and a sense of belonging within a larger collective group. Similarly, the main sentiment that fuels the school spirit within Everytime is the shared identity that binds students together as one. Because the app allows only those from the same university to join the group, it creates a highly exclusive, tight-knit online community. Everytime greatly contributes to strengthening the bond among students while informing them of school-related issues such as club recruitment, programs, and competitions.
However, recent issues within Korea University’s (KU) Everytime community have exposed the darker side of the app. In July, there was fierce debate on Everytime over the Emergency Central Steering Committee’s decision to participate in the Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) under the name of the Korea University Student Union (KUSU). While there had been reasonable arguments regarding the overall voting and decision-making process, irrelevant homophobic comments and posts started to surface. Suddenly the board became a place to openly express hate against the LGBT community, filled with offensive and vulgar language.
It has been a while since the app started to gradually deviate from its initial goals of creating a friendly online community for students. The homophobic comments related to the SQCF were not particularly shocking, considering the frequently witnessed hate and discrimination that had already been observed on Everytime. Gender-related issues in particular have always been a divisive topic over which students throw spiteful comments at each other. Promoting unnecessary division between different majors and admission routes is another trend that has become widespread.
Rather than encouraging cooperation and solidarity among students, Everytime is separating students into opposing groups and starting unnecessary conflict. Displays of hate and division within the app are mainly due to its anonymous nature. While anonymity allows more members to comfortably share their ideas, many use it as a shield for writing hateful comments they would never say to someone’s face in reality. The lack of consequences faced by users due to the comments they post on the board gives them an excuse to be inconsiderate of the words they use. They feel no shame or guilt in proudly sharing their warped opinions.
It is wrong to generalize all users of Everytime as abusive and malicious individuals who do not care about other people’s feelings. Everytime is not an accurate representation of all KU students, though unfortunately it showcases some of their worst characteristics. There should thus be more active efforts and measures to resolve the problems that arise from Everytime. For instance, there must be stricter restrictions and regulations within the app. While the freedom of expression among students must be respected, any content that is deemed inappropriate or unnecessary should be removed in accordance with firm guidelines. Most importantly, users ought to voluntarily work towards creating a better online community. Everytime clearly has its strengths in contributing to a more convenient and informative campus life. It is the responsibility of KU students to preserve the beneficial features of the app that truly embody the values of liberty, justice, and truth.