Conor O’Donovan | Contributing Writer
As Trinity’s first completely interactive online module looks set to change the dynamic of Trinity education – now educational material is instantly accessible to students in areas as far away as Ranelagh – social media and its role in the digital Trinity experience is coming into focus. The relevance of applications such as Snapchat, sites such as Twitter and hybrids such as Instagram is undeniable in a world where students simply do not have the time to be lonely; issues arise when the vision of the institution and the needs of the student are at odds.
It appears Trinity’s first response to any perceived encroachment on the University brand on student social media’s part is one of regulation. Many were angered by the College’s recent decision to fine those who do not include #TCD, #UniversityOfDublin or numerous other variations amongst their on campus Instagram tags. Those fortunate enough to have secured on-campus accommodation have found this particularly invasive; true to form, general feeling amongst the rest of the student body is that they should get lost.
“most of it looked like Buttery Goulash.”
The undertaking of these measures frequently ends in arbitration in cases where “culturally ambiguous” hastags such as #almamater or #unaaay have been used. A more clear-cut case, at least in the College’s view, was the now infamous incident involving a member of TCD’s alumni. The rather blurry selfie shows the perpetrator, draped in a modified graduation gown, attempting to evade campus security and bears the tag #AlmaMaterialGuuurlx.
Perhaps more controversial is the occasional censoring of the images themselves; “I’m not sure I can support an institution which tampers with my charcuterie updates” remarked one disgruntled Instagrammer, describing the substitution of their more obscure meat fancies with Alpen as “the definition of dry”. Another interviewee asserted that whatever they chose to do with their gobbets on Instagram was “their business.” In addition, Scholars are being made to choose from a range of pre-approved Commons filters. “A lot of the posts we found tagged as Commons were absolutely rank” said a spokesperson for the Dining Hall, “most of it looked like Buttery Goulash.”
“Auden said people enjoy their own handwriting much like the smell of their own farts; sadly the stench of most tweets seems to survive the typing process,”
Sentiment toward Twitter seems more varied with many voicing disillusion with the 140-character format. “Auden said people enjoy their own handwriting much like the smell of their own farts; sadly the stench of most tweets seems to survive the typing process,” quipped one uniquely fragrant student UT found on the fourth floor of the Arts Block. On the other hand it seems students view the tried and tested Twitter as a superior forum for sincere interaction. The vast majority of students interviewed agreed they felt more confident handling sensitive issues via Twitter. “I knew he needed his space, but I think it helped that I could retweet his horoscope,” enthused one tweeter.
Students almost uniformly agreed that Snapchat’s carefree and irreverent cultural milieu made it less suited to the task. “When I heard they were going to defer I knew a half eaten burrito pic probably wouldn’t cut it,” lamented a JF student UT accidentally woke up entering the MacNeil Theatre; “I felt completely powerless. In the end, I dug out my CAO, splashed some Tabasco on it and sent that on.” Others felt let down by Snapchat in their pursuit of lasting romance; one student confessed to drawing a smiley face on their foot in an attempt to convey their “genuine” enjoyment of a recent Salsa date.
Social media has also changed the nature of student politics, with many identifying Twitter as the best medium for following the excitement on count nights. Much was made, however, of the Electoral Commission’s decision to allow live tweeting from inside the ballot box during the recent Impeachment Referendum. The tweeter in question maintains that any ingestion of ballots that may have occurred during their attempts to draw air from the box’s opening was completely impartial. One commentator stated that the advent of Snapchat has brought the personal lives of those involved in student politics into the public sphere; it has come to light that this year’s President of Geog $oc was almost beaten by his Snapchat persona: The Story Horse. Indeed, speculation as to how the Budestag would have reacted had Merckel’s Snapchat account been infiltrated has dominated College Green tutorials and tweets alike over the past few weeks.
In general, Snapchat’s disposable nature leads students to abandon their inhibitions. A recent study shows that selfies amongst DUPA members are on the rise with 11 in 15 members admitting they are the only one in about 8 in a “cinematographer’s dozen” of their own photos. “I like to take a fly on the wall approach to my selfies” maintained one member. Another slightly newer member UT succeeded in coaxing down from the wall expressed concerns over whether the adjudicators would be able to screen shot his entry to Trinity in Colour in time. “You see, I am a lion and people need to see as well as hear me roar!” he gushed.
On the whole, social media appears to be moving faster than Trinity can manage and its students have adjusted much quicker. Of course there are always those who find the layout of these applications alienating. UT has learned that hasty use of the find friends’ option is a common pitfall of the digital student socialite. “Now I get a daily picture of him pretending to buy The Independent,” remarked one student who had the misfortune of inadvertently adding his father on Snapchat.
