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Pulse of the Wing

What is Jodel?

Due to recent articles published about USAFA hiring a company to monitor cadets’ social media usage, this edition of FTZ BLUF will try to help explain what Jodel is and how it is used within the cadet wing. I have not seen the contract myself and therefore cannot make judgements upon it, this is purely to inform my audience on what Jodel is and why it’s on USAFA’s radar. Jodel is an app that you can download on your phone to communicate anonymously with others within a defined community. It is geography based, so if you are within the cadet area and welcomed to the online community, you can see the anonymous public posts and make your own posts. This app is used by cadets to speak their mind on topics relating to their classmates, cadet leadership, the commandant, policies, and anything else you can think might be going through a cadet’s mind.

Since the messages are not attributable, cadets can often say outlandish things. Below are two pretty moderate posts.

OPINION - I preface my opinion with the fact that I have never downloaded this app because I do not have time for the drama that plays out on the platform. Jodel is a topic of discussion among cadets both formally and informally as we all seem to question its value above being entertaining at times. Here is my take of the good and the bad of a platform like this:

The good: It gives cadets a place to speak their mind without much threat of reprisal. Although I believe everyone should be able to say things to others’ faces, that is not reality, so if the quiet person sees something going wrong, this is a place for them to speak up. This is about all the good I see in a platform like this.

The bad: Since the messages on the site cannot be traced back to any specific person or device, there is no accountability for what you say. This is bad for two reasons: 1. You can say outlandish things without having to pay the price for the damage you could have caused. 2. You’re pretty soft if you have to hide behind a screen to say something to someone. Embrace an uncomfortable situation and talk to people if you have a problem with them. This is not an exhaustive list, but for the sake of keeping this short I’ll cut here.

I fully understand the difficulties of being a cadet, and why cynicism brews in the cadet wing. Things are constantly being thrown at you and you have no choice other than to deal with it. But instead of resorting to complaining, why don’t we take pride in our name and embrace the fact that the Long Blue Line has a strong reputation for a reason. Pick up a Dodo, get a quick laugh, then get on with your day instead of spreading harmful messages on social media.

Let me know what you think at the address below!