Murray ’29: No thanks, I don’t want your Instagram — texting is still cool

You’re a few minutes into meeting someone new on campus. Names and hometowns have been exchanged, and you’re thinking of making the jump to ask for their contact information. But then a phone appears in your face, paired with the tantalizing question: “What’s your Instagram?” This instant leap — from strangers to practically online confidants, sharing years worth of media — shortcuts the challenges and joys of building connection naturally. Texting, by contrast, still holds onto that sense of discovery.  In recent years, social media has come to dominate the first stages of friendship. For instance, many first-year students were introduced to their classmates not during orientation, but rather, months before on Instagram. This year, the Instagram account @brown2029_  invited incoming students to post five photos, a short caption and a link to their personal Instagram page. Through carefully selected photos of hobbies, big friend groups and personal style, students grab for social clout before the school year has even begun. These types of accounts have become popular ways for incoming students to showcase themselves to their new peers, garnering thousands of followers and posts each year.  Pages like these reinforce the idea that social existence hinges on online presence.
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