Got a crush? Need words of affirmation? Want to know the best food at Palms? Chances are, there’s an Instagram account for that.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, VSU has seen the rise of parody accounts among the student body. For many followers, the intrigue is all in the knowledge that they provide. Others want to see themselves posted on the accounts by friends or acquaintances.

“I started reading them to get a perspective of who likes who on campus, then started following them to see if I would end up on it,” Elisa DeCeasere, a freshman psychology major, said.

However, these accounts aren’t affiliated with VSU and are only for student entertainment as they are run by students from VSU.

“It’s fun knowing who likes who or laughing at bad drivers or getting music recommendations,” Joshua Johnson, a freshman mass media major, said.

Most of these accounts rely on anonymity, whether for the sake of privacy or safety. Both the people running the accounts and the people submitting opinions are concealed via Google Forms. For some counts, this idea of privacy is vital. For others, it’s merely a marketing tool.

“I like that I can be myself and can really speak my mind and not feel like I have to be held to a certain standard because of who I am,” @vsucrush said.

A lot of these accounts have been inspired to create these from different places.

“It’s an inclusive way for me to interact with my peers because we all know palms and we’re brought together by what they have to offer to our campus,” @palmsdiningreview said.

When running an account that relies on opinion pieces or confessions, interesting and fun stories are bound to come up.

“This guy messaged me telling me that he and his crush had gotten together thanks to my page. It made me so happy to see that this silly little crush page I made actually worked,” @vsucrush said.

But students can’t stay forever, and the subject of the legacy of the account becomes a major thought.

“I do intend to pass this account down to someone else one day,” @vsucompliments said.

Whether it’s bad parking, a confession you can’t say out loud, or a need for a compliment, VSU students have it covered. All it takes is a quick search on Instagram to find anything you might need.

Written by Bailey Wilson. Photo courtesy of @vsurush on Instagram.