Many University of Toronto course syllabi are filled with policies to prevent the use of social media during class time. Outside the classroom, however, the university community is a veritable eden for social media networks — U of T has well over 100 official accounts.
The Varsity reached out to the people behind some of U of T’s most pervasive social media accounts to discuss their impact and reach.
U of T Confessions
U of T Confessions is a Facebook page administered by three anonymous U of T students.
Since its inception, the page has captured an audience of over 6,000 people, and is rapidly growing.
The page offers a place to anonymously post confessions through an application. Others comment or like the posts through their own Facebook accounts.
Confessions range from romantic and academic struggles, to the explicit and obscure.
The page managers only rarely intervene in what is posted. They spoke with The Varsity on the condition of anonymity.
The Varsity: What inspired you to create a page like this?
U of T Confessions: We wanted to give the student population an outlet for their problems and create a place where we can make friends with similar interests.
TV: What do you think that this page offers to U of T students?
UTC: It gives the students a place to vent or ask advice from other people in similar situations. It also allows some of the more shy students to meet new people. Some people are sending very intimate aspects of their lives.
TV: Do you think that the page is therapeutic at all for some students?
UTC: [It] absolutely is. Just the fact of telling a secret to someone is a huge burden off your shoulders, except in this case no one can really judge them too harshly since they don’t know who the person is.
TV: Do you feel any sort of responsibility running a page that anonymously shares some deep, dark, confessions?
UTC: If the person inboxes us their secrets, we often try to help them out with their problems to a reasonable extent. More often than not, people feel they are the only ones going through a hard situation, so this page offers them a different viewpoint on life.
TV: What do you think the anonymous posts on the page say about life at U of T?
UTC: It just seems like people are lonely and extremely focused on their GPA [Grade Point Average], which could be a good or bad thing depending on how far they take it.
TV: Do you think that this page conveys honesty about student realities?
UTC: Personally, I think it does, just because there’s no filter and no fear of being judged for saying something deep.
TV: Will you share a hint as to who you are for U of T students?
UTC: We use our regular accounts sometimes to comment on posts. That’s really as far as we can say — any more than that and you’ll know who we are.
TV: Do you have any other comments or advice for students?
UTC: Just a piece of advice: Enjoy life. School is a big part of your life currently, but don’t forget to make friends and experience new things.
Life At UofT St. George
Life at UofT is an Instagram account managed primarily by Amie Lalonde, a U of T student who is part of the Student Life Community Crew.
The account is part of a series of initiatives by the Community Crew members that also includes a Twitter account, Facebook page, and blog. Currently, Life at UofT St. George has over 1,500 followers and over 400 posts.
TV: How many people run the account?
Amie Lalonde: I’m in charge of the page and post most of the images, but there are 10 other people on the Community Crew who can contribute pictures if they’ve gone to an event on campus or just see something cool happening.
TV: What are you most surprised about with the page?
AL: The amount of support and engagement is what surprised me the most I think! I love engaging with so many different people through the account and I didn’t expect it quite so much.
TV: What kind of vision of U of T do you hope to portray with the account?
AL: I just want to show off how great our campus is and show that there’s a lot more to U of T than endless readings. I think that it’s easy to get caught up in school work and forget that there’s this really varied social side to U of T.
TV: In what ways do you think students express themselves on social media, and more specifically instagram, that offers them an outlet?
AL: Since Instagram is such a visual platform and our campus is so beautiful I think that they work really well together. I also think that because Instagram is a place where you can interact with people you don’t necessarily know, the nature of what you post is different than Facebook, and you can connect with a wider group of people.
