While the Eastern community would probably assume that our school’s most popular social media accounts are our club or student council pages, there is no denying the popularity of a notorious “Gossip Girl-esque” Instagram account.

   Anonymously run by an Eastern student, the page was home to many opinions, all anonymously submitted by Eastern students. Accumulating over 946 followers, it sat higher than any Eastern-affiliated account on Instagram, despite the account having no ties to Eastern. 

   Featuring anything from student drama to COVID opinions, the account’s popularity also made it ripe for controversy. The page sparked discussions pertaining to inclusivity at Eastern among students, due to the sometimes harsh opinions submitted. Although the account may be the catalyst for these discussions, it feels like they’ve been long overdue.

   So I ask you then: is the Eastern student body inclusive? I’ll give you a chance to mull it over, but in the meantime, I Direct Messaged (Instagram’s version of texting) the student behind the account to get their take on the matter. And before you ask—no. I don’t know who they are either.

   “Publicly posting about how you don’t like others because of the way they look or their lifestyle isn’t what I think Eastern stands for. I think everyone should try to be nicer to everyone and more open-minded about everyone, no matter what their political views are,” responded the account’s creator when asked about inclusivity at our school. “I think people who don’t support different things…should not make others feel bad about themselves.”

   It seems clear that the student behind the account had no ill intentions with it, but how do other students feel about the page’s recent popularity and the effect it has on our school’s students?

   “The account gave me some good laughs, and I don’t think any of it was truly personal,” said senior Matt Andjel.

 “When the account died, so did my anxiety,” joked senior Caitlin Flewelling regarding the account’s recent disappearance. 

   Even through the jokes, I’d say these responses are fairly representative of how students really feel about the account. Most students, including myself at times, took to the page for a quick laugh and didn’t think much of it. On the other hand, some kids were scared to open Instagram, afraid to be the subject of the newest confession. 

   Regardless of how you personally felt about the account, we’ll be getting a substantial break from it. As touched on before, the page has seemingly been laid to rest, with all of the posts being deleted. 

   Despite numerous theories among students, the student behind the account was adamant that they’ve “just decided to take a break for a while.” I can’t speak for the account’s creator as to why they’ve taken down the posts, but their decision may shed some light on the larger topic at hand.  

   High school can be a tough environment for any teenage mind. Not to say that high schools are necessarily bad places, but students encounter common forms of bullying and exclusion everyday. For as intriguing as the Instagram account was for a while, it did have its moments of crossing the line.

   Even though some of us may miss the account, I think we should view the current end of the page as a step in the right direction. Obviously, it wasn’t the school’s biggest problem in terms of creating a positive school environment, but it definitely didn’t help matters. In fact, I think we could all take a page out of the account’s book as of late and leave the negativity in the past.