At the start of the new school year, Instagram launched its most recent feature where students can add their schools to their bio, giving them the ability to see other student accounts.

The implications of this feature are vast, and opinions vary. Though most see it as an overall fun tool, some question what it might mean for actual meaningful connection. 

Aria Lecesne, a political science freshman, regards it as something that can “help you connect to other people in your school that you may not necessarily know”, being good for outreach within this context.

However, she also expressed how it could be a double-edged sword as far as connection is concerned.

“It could maybe make people more isolated than they already are because they would be less inclined to talk to people in person and rather talk to people online,” Lecesne said.

This duality brings the ultimate judgement that “it’s a good feature if used properly.” 

Junior digital communications major Heidi Herrera-Wanke also discovered this new feature, and she found that the feature is incredibly helpful, especially to incoming students.

“It is such a good way to get connected with students you may not have been familiar with before! Especially with incoming freshmen, it’s nice to become familiar with those things,” she said. “I think it definitely could promote community on campus as well as alumni connections, people love to stay connected and in touch even after graduation.”

However, despite her praises, Herrera-Wanke stated that she would not be using the feature due to wanting her account to be more personal.

“I think the feature is interesting but I like to separate those two lives,” she said.

Students can access the feature by updating Instagram to the latest version and pressing the “add school” button on their profile.