Jodel is a German social media app based off of anonymity. Courtesy | Jodel
The little-known German social media app Jodel, pronounced like the Swiss style of singing, is a feature of Hillsdale student life, and has been for some time.
Jodel is a local, entirely anonymous social media app. The site’s rules, which its administrators strictly enforce, ban the mention of names, addresses, or any related matters pertaining to private individuals. A post, or “jodel,” has to communicate to its audience without using these specifics.
“If you jumped on Hillsdale Jodel with no context, nothing would make sense. You have to know the campus to know Jodel,” junior Jonathan Williams said.
Thus, a passing Jodel post in Hillsdale might read, “Schiz playing at Graceland tonight” or, “Fundies don’t grasp that Purg is not Heaven” or even, “Anyone else think The Collegian’s Jodel feature by junior LT was terrible?”
Because Jodel communities are only accessible to local users and considerably small — especially when it is a German app with a worldwide total of 3 million monthly active users by its own reporting — the only people reading those messages are Hillsdale students. The app allows for Hillsdale students to connect and gauge public opinion.
In the case of the mustachioed junior Ezra Phillips, Jodel was the epicenter of support for Simpson’s homecoming video, in which he portrayed the central character, “Captain Longstache.”
“While I didn’t appreciate the mustache jokes, I really loved the response to the Simpson homecoming video — it’s not just haters,” Phillips said.
Even though the posts address real issues, events, and people, anonymity takes away real-life consequences.
“It’s important to realize that Jodel isn’t real life, even more so than other platforms because it’s a wholly anonymous platform,” junior Paden Hughes said. “Self-censorship isn’t custom — naturally, people can give in to their worst tendencies.”
Jodel culture certainly has its vices, as any Jodeler will freely volunteer.
“As great as it can be, much of the experience isn’t wholesome,” Hughes said.
Because it’s so intentionally local and niche, it is all too easy to pile on when someone is derided.
“Jodel does have a tendency to just be a gossip platform. Those who truly enjoy it are the ones who use it sparingly,” junior Dominic Taranto said.
For Jodel’s enjoyers, it continues to be a way to share the common gags of Hillsdale in short, digestible, and humorous fashion.
“It’s not for everyone, but it’s funny in a very Hillsdale-distinct way,” Taranto said.