With the death of Yik Yak being made official just this week, it’s been interesting to reflect on how social media on a college campus has evolved. As the former go-to anonymous app became more and more obsolete, it gave rise to a new form of campus communication: campus-wide Instagram accounts. They retain a feature that made Yik Yak so appealing: they’re anonymous. However, this method is far more practical for those that thrive on gossip as you don’t need to download another app. Dickinson has a variety with new ones popping up almost every week, but here is a rundown of the best of the best.
@BananasofDickinson
Probably the OG account that’s specialty as you might have guessed, revolves around the various ‘nanners of Dickinson. Students mainly submit candids of their friends enjoying the fruit making for interesting posts to say the least. With the added commentary from the account owner, the posts appear wholesome at the surface, but are usually laden with innuendo. At 1,216 followers, it enjoys the second largest following of this group of accounts as well as being one of the most iconic quirks of the Dickinson social media scene.
@DickinsonStarterPacks
Ranging from incredibly accurate to just downright savage, students submit four pictures of the most basic and iconic qualities of a friend, Greek organization, place or experience. The best content is when you may not know the student’s name, but based on the four pictures you know exactly who it’s about. Standing in at just over 1,500 followers this account has the largest following of any account presently and is at this point the only account that adds Instagram Stories. The owner clearly enjoys a fair amount of ambiguity and abstraction with these stories, as if to say, “Catch me if you can.” It’s fair to say the competition to stay on top has increased in the last month, with the addition of new accounts. Only time will tell if it will endure.
@OverheardDickinson
Another newbie making its rounds, the account provides little snippets of conversation and the location of where they were said. Again, serving as a microcosm to the culture here on campus. The tiny bits of gossip and outrageousness of weekends past, make its way past small friend circles and bless our feeds. The best is when you can find out someone involved and enjoy the rest of the story behind the quote.
@DsonMemes
The newest kid on the block this account has everyone on campus saying “True.” Borrowing from other well-loved memes and some homegrown photos, the captions reflect what it means to be a Dickinson student, in both the academic sense as well as the social side. Whether these memes reflect on the sad reality of college life or roasting Dining Services, no one is safe from becoming a target.