One of the most interesting things about a university is its unique culture. As a first-year media production student, one of my favourite parts of being at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is its unique culture on social media. It seems like content creators roam the campus everywhere I go, telling stories and formulating new ideas.
Whether it’s marketing an upcoming content release or spreading awareness about an event, students at TMU are experts at leveraging social media to market themselves and their work. One account in particular grew to a level of unprecedented success.
TMU Chairs was started by two of my closest friends, Zach Thomson and Ryan Price, in November 2024. They started making videos to review chairs on campus. What began as a recurring joke grew into an unprecedented social media craze.
Their content formula is simple: find a chair and record Ryan as he sits in it for the first time. Then, follow up with an honest review and chair rating.
“Basically, someone at my high school kind of did the same thing… but they would just post pictures about chairs at our school,” says Price. “They wouldn’t review them or anything like that; they just kind of said that they existed. I thought it was kind of funny, and I wanted to put my own spin on it. I like reviewing things, and I’ve been into chairs for my whole life. Way back in the day, I had a YouTube series called ‘falling off of chairs’ where I would literally just fall off of chairs and added memes to it.”
“Ryan Price made a joke about reviewing chairs on campus,” Thomson told Her Campus on the origin of their videos. “And then after a couple of times of him saying it, I just said to him ‘when are we gonna make this TMU Chairs thing?’ and then we went out and filmed a bunch of videos.”
At the start of the winter semester, TMU chairs had really taken off. While they definitely gained a cult following from their independent content, some of their biggest videos have been collaborations with other student groups and accounts at TMU.
In February, the page hit 2,000 followers, followed by 3,000 followers just two weeks later. Their biggest video, a collaboration with Student Life TMU, has over 140,000 views.
TMU Chairs is the perfect example of how social media is changing the business landscape. Entrepreneur Austin Falter states in a TEDx talk that there is a “Creator Economy” where content is used as currency to grow businesses by gaining attention.
In this way, content on social media can be used as both a marketing tool and a product itself. While many businesses use TikTok and Instagram to spread awareness about a product, service, or event they are offering, influencers leverage social media to provide entertainment and market themselves.
TMU Chairs falls under the influencer category, as they began with the goal of entertaining their audience rather than selling or promoting a product. As the page grew, their involvement with other organizations on campus allowed them to rate chairs in the buildings used by these groups, thus promoting the groups they are collaborating with.
In a world where the social media market is so concentrated, TMU Chairs stands out for four main reasons.
Firstly, they are video-focused. Videos, especially short-form videos, have a high exchange rate on social media, so it makes sense that TMU Chairs was able to grow so rapidly.
Secondly, their content is original. They aren’t chasing trends to gain attention; they are earning their following by doing what they like and what they think is funny. Mainstream media never comes from things that are already mainstream. Mainstream originally comes from a niche.
Thirdly, they are consistent with their style and their posts. By including Ryan’s catchphrases “Welcome back to TMU Chairs” and “one sit, everyone knows the rules,” they have built familiarity with their audience and trademark style.
Building on this, they are consistent with their formatting and camera style. Even Ryan’s signature pose has been recreated by their collaborators in every video they make. Also, by routinely posting videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they have consistently grown their platform and created a sense of reliability.
Lastly, they are creating entertaining, positive content. Since social media has been linked to impacting mental health and uplifting negativity, it’s important for content creators to create positive things, creating a happier and healthier internet culture.
“It’s kind of a community bonding thing that people at the school enjoy,” says Ryan. “It’s cool when they’re like ‘oh my gosh, that’s my favourite chair’ or something like that in our videos. I also get recognized sometimes while walking around. It’s fun.”
While they didn’t expect it, Ryan and Zach have created their own pocket within the TMU social media sphere. Through their original, consistent, and uplifting content, they have created an excellent model for how businesses and influencers can use social media to develop their brand.
Throughout all of this, one thing’s for sure: we haven’t seen the last of TMU Chairs. I can’t wait to see what they do next.