Salisbury University’s red square was abuzz with students on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. Lured by the promise of free donuts, bucket hats and the sound of music, many downloaded the application known as “Fizz.”
The start-up company is based in Palo Alto, California, and the app was launched by two self described “Stanford Dropouts”.
The “Stanford Dropouts'' are Teddy Solomon and Ashton Cofer, who were freshmen at Stanford University in 2020 when the idea for the app was conceived. Fizz is a community based platform similar to Yik Yak, where people can make posts on varying topics.
Brand ambassadors on college campuses throughout the country are found by Fizz managers and paid to promote the brand, directing as many students as possible to the app. Many of the student ambassadors were contacted through job boards on LinkedIn, as part of the company’s nation-wide effort to popularize the application within college communities.
Ainsley Douglas, an SU junior majoring in Biology, was one of numerous students who were seen promoting Fizz on the Feb. 12 campus launch date.
“I applied to be a moderator in the summer and it just kind of took off from there,” Douglas said. “I have been in contact with the app managers and have been sharing it around.”
“I like this app over Yik Yak because it includes only students, and it's a fun way to see something that might be going on around campus.”
Phillip Nguyen, an SU senior majoring in Biology, described some notable aspects of the app.
“You can post anonymously, or you can reveal your name,” Nguyen said. “There are a lot of features, such as a karma system and a tagging system.”
“It is meant for students only, verified through the student email. It’s definitely an interesting system.”
Aaron Abebe, an SU sophomore majoring in Finance, is a lead brand ambassador for Fizz. He expressed his satisfaction with the app and preference for Fizz over similar platforms.
“The app is cool, the interface is nice and easier to use than Yik Yak, there's lots of content about Salisbury in the community,” Abebe said.
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By ZOE CLARKE
Staff Writer
Featured image courtesy of Zoe Clarke