Timed with back-to-school season, Instagram has launched a new feature just for students.
The social media platform announced “Schools” on Tuesday, August 26. Students should now see an option to “Add your school” directly on their profile if they so wish. After verifying their enrollment through the student verification platform UniDays, they will then have the option to add their school or college name as a badge on their profile.
Students can choose whether the badge is visible to their fellow schoolmates or all followers, or opt out of the feature altogether. Once confirmed, they can browse a directory of their fellow students, filtered by year, or browse the entire student body.
As Instagram noted, the verification process is necessary to maintain a safe environment for active students to connect with other active students.
“At UniDays, we’re committed to creating safer, more rewarding digital experiences for the next generation. We do this by making verification and digital identity a foundation, not a barrier, for young people,” UniDays CEO Jon Hawley said in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with Instagram to champion digital trust and online safety. This new feature, underpinned by our world-leading verification technology, enables students to build more authentic, meaningful, and secure connections online.”
The launch comes a week after TikTok rolled out a feature, also with UniDays, called Campus Verification. This lets users add their school to their profile and connect with other students on campus. Sound familiar?
It also comes over a decade after Facebook launched as an online directory for Harvard students to connect with one another. As journalist Taylor Lorenz wrote on X: “Get in, folks; we’re doing 2005 Facebook again.”
Instagram was spotted developing the college-based feature last year. It comes at a time when young people are prioritizing IRL experiences amid “app fatigue” and reports of loneliness. Social media platforms have taken note and are rolling out a wave of new features to attempt to facilitate connection.
Through Schools, Instagram aims to make it easier for students to connect and build community at this formative time in their lives—whether that’s seeking out a study buddy, linking up with new friends, or stalking a crush you crossed paths with in the hall.
Connectez-vous pour ajouter un commentaire
Autres messages de ce groupe
Bad news for morning routines everywhere: The New York Times has put its Mini Crossword behind a paywall.
On Tuesday, instead of their usual puzzle, players were met with a paywall. The
China’s Alibaba has developed a new chip that is more versatile than its older chips and is meant to serve a broader range of
Mount Fuji hasn’t erupted since 1707. But for Volcanic Disaster Preparedness Day, Japanes
When an influencer gets married, it’s safe to assume much of the cost, from venue decor to personalized invitations, has been comped in exchange for content. Now brides with smaller, more modest f
Welcome, and thanks for reading this issue of Fast Company’s Plugged In.
On August 22, President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that the U.S. federal government had acq
Some of the most ambitious cancer science is happening in a disease few outside of oncology can name, and it’s revealing a future where cancer is no longer a death sentence.
Multiple mye
Ever wonder what happens to the bags that never make it to baggage claim? Some of them are now turning up in influencers’ lost luggage hauls.
It’s every traveler’s nightmare: you land, b
