You may be bored in orchestra rehearsal, taking part in a dining hall dance mob, or maybe you’re just one-way circling the parking structure with the other poor souls who decided that 8 a.m. was too early for class.
The point is, no matter what you’re doing on campus, other students can relate and probably would like the chance to laugh with you rather than stress on their own.
The Cal State Long Beach Vines page is an interactive Facebook page that allows students to upload Instagram and Vine videos documenting their on-campus experiences.
The Vines page aims to be like the CSULB Confessions Facebook page but with a refreshed strategy.
Rather than encouraging anonymous over-sharing about interpersonal issues, the Vines page gives students a chance to declare themselves a part of the campus community in a way people may want to hear.
The creators of the page asked to remain unnamed, but they admit the page is the brainchild of a group of kinesiology students.
“We started this page in order to summarize some of our experiences,” the CSULB Vines group said. “Time flies and we find that making this page and giving students an opportunity to post a video of their experiences is a great way of communication.”
The page currently features several students’ posts but has not yet fulfilled its potential, with less than 200 likes for a page to represent the whole scope of the campus experience.
While the creators said there isn’t a goal number of followers, they do hope that more students will choose to contribute.
Students said they could benefit from sharing their own experiences because it would bridge the communication gap that is so common on a big campus. After all, full lecture halls don’t encourage a sense of belonging.
“I think a bunch of students sharing our videos would not only be amusing but strengthen the community of our school,” Shawn Dunn, a senior art education major, said.
Not to mention, Vines can be fairly hilarious.
“Vines are funny. I’ve seen a few before,” Veronica Mata, an education major, said. “It’s also a good way for everyone on campus to stay updated and connected in case they don’t have time to read their email or the newspaper.”
The connections between students could promote on- and off-campus unity through shared humor.
“Sometimes we all get frustrated, like [with] parking. But sometimes you just need to laugh at it,” Katherine Rios, a communications major, said. “It’s a light-hearted way to deal with the stresses of school with other students.”
In a generation of social media, the CSULB Vines page suits the campus well, as students can easily post, tag and like their way into the collaborative community with other students.
“It’s a way to portray a student’s life at CSULB by sharing their experiences and thoughts through a Vine video,” the creators of the page said. “In a sense, this can bring students closer, [while being] a great way to express themselves.”
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