During finals week of the Spring 2012 semester, one Loyola University student created a Tumblr page that got over 80,000 hits in four days. Titled “WhatShouldLoynoCallMe,” the blog takes a stab at Loyola culture through humorous Internet memes and relatable captions.
According to Merriam-Webster, a meme is an idea, behavior, style or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture. The Internet has only expanded the capability to do this. By using animated images, the anonymous “WhatShouldLoynoCallMe” author spreads an idea of a Loyola student’s lifestyle.
The memes tend to focus on Greek life and nightlife, but anything relevant to Loyola college students can fall under the author’s radar. A recently published meme featured a moving image of a gleeful girl with confetti flying all around her with the caption “How I Felt Walking Into Chipotle.” With the opening of the new Chipotle restaurant location in Elmwood Plaza, Loyola students understand the feeling.
Mass communication sophomore Allison McElligott said she was among those that began reading the Tumblr during finals week. “My first impression was ‘This is so spot on,'” she said. “I thought all the jokes were so funny, especially referencing stuff really specific to Loyola, like the OR.”
The author said in an email that the “WhatShouldWeCallMe” Tumblr page, and Tulane University’s take on it, inspired the creation of one specific to Loyola. “I wasn’t about to let Loyola not have one when the ugly older step sister next door had one,” the author said.
The content published on the blog comes from the author’s own Loyola experiences. “Every single idea is an opinion, an experience or a friend’s experience,” the author said. “I get the ideas from the people at Loyola. It’s not creativity; it’s reality. And chances are that I’ve written one about you.”
The blog’s author chooses to maintain an anonymous identity, and readers are left guessing at the personality behind the page. The memes are the only clue.
“From the beginning of making this, I knew it would have to be anonymous or else I wouldn’t have the freedom to post what I really wanted to,” the author said. “I’ve probably gotten upwards of 100 messages asking who I am. I can sometimes get a few messages a day.”
Sarah Scalese, psychology junior, said that she’s always wondered who is behind the Tumblr. “I just want to know who it is,” she said. “I think that’s part of the allure. Everyone’s got their theories, and it bothers me that I don’t know.”
The author creates new memes regularly, often posting them onto the blog in groups. “I think there’s a mass misconception that it takes hours and hours to come up with these,” the author said. “It doesn’t. As long as I have the idea, it takes about 20 seconds to create and upload it. It’s really not difficult to publish 30 at a time.”
McElligott said that she doesn’t read the blog as regularly now because she’s not a member of Tumblr and often forgets about it.
“When I do visit the site, I realize I have been clicking ‘next’ for about 20 minutes,” McElligott said. “It’s just something extra that makes you remember why you love going to Loyola. It’s an accumulation of all the funny things about Loyola that everyone notices and one person puts together.”
Cherie Lejeune can be reached at [email protected]
