by Maya Smelser
Staff Writer
If you are active on Instagram you’ve probably seen the rise of student-made SLA accounts.
The first accounts I saw pop up were @slaaffirmations and @sla_affirmations. Both seem to be inspired by @phillyaffirmations, an account who posts funny and relatable “affirmations” about life in Philadelphia. The SLA version of these accounts posted photos with text like “the vending machine will be full today,” “I will not die going up to the sixth floor,” “I will not pop the yoga balls in Health,” and more.
The next account that grew in popularity was @sla_sleeps. This page featured photos of students sleeping in class. The most recent account I’ve seen is @sla_wherestheflood, which is dedicated to posting pictures of students “floods,” which in this case is referring to the skin between someone’s sock and pants.
I, and many of my friends, have appeared on one of these pages. and I’ve never heard any complaints or seen a negative impact. Students think these are funny and get excited when they see themselves or someone they know on the pages.
My time came when I appeared on the @sla_sleep page. I was in English class and I wasn’t sleeping, I just had my head down. My friend snapped a photo of me and submitted it to the page. I first saw it when I got a notification that I was tagged in a post. I clicked it and laughed, then showed it to my friends who also thought it was pretty funny.
I find these accounts funny and mostly harmless, but the school administration doesn’t seem to feel the same way. Some students were asked to take down the accounts by the school.
These accounts can also create a better school environment. They not only build community, but also keep students in check. Students might be less inclined to sleep in class or keep their masks on, so they won’t get on these pages. It can also go the other way, some of the pictures on the profiles are clearly staged. Someone could argue that these accounts are an invasion of privacy. And while I understand where they would be coming from, I know people who have asked to have their photos taken down and their requests have been respected.
There have been cases of these school accounts being made to bully other students, but in most cases they are just made for a bit of harmless fun. Accounts made for less-harmless reasons were taken down quickly and dealt with by the school.
I enjoy these accounts and how they allow for some lighthearted and relatable jokes. Personally, I would love to see more of them.
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