Instagram on Tuesday rolled out a new feature that allows U.S. college students to display their school on their profile and browse a directory of other verified students. The tool is designed to help classmates find each other and build connections within campus communities.
Students can add their school by tapping “Add School” on their profile and completing verification through the UNiDAYS platform. Once verified, they can choose who sees their school banner and then browse a student directory filtered by year or across the entire campus.
The feature has drawn comparisons to Facebook’s early days. When it launched in 2004, Facebook was originally a platform for Harvard students to connect. Instagram’s move comes just a week after TikTok introduced a similar college networking tool.
Privacy and Optional Use
While the feature may be helpful for students looking to expand their social circles, it also raises privacy concerns. Some worry it could make tracking classmates online easier. Instagram emphasized that the feature is optional, allowing students to keep their academic life separate from their online presence if they wish.
For some users, the addition of another feature could add to concerns about Instagram’s increasingly cluttered interface. Still, Instagram hopes the tool will foster stronger connections among students while keeping the app relevant against rival platforms.
Author’s Opinion
Instagram’s new college feature feels like a throwback to its parent company’s roots, but also highlights how social apps are scrambling to hold onto younger audiences. While it may genuinely help students meet new people, Instagram risks turning into an overloaded app with too many functions. Simplicity has always been a big part of what makes a social platform appealing, and piling on features could ultimately push users away instead of pulling them closer.
Featured image credit: Claudio Schwarz via Unsplash
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