Does anonymity bring the McGill community closer? Surprisingly, yes. Through Spotted McGill, students are able to submit their confessions regarding campus life anonymously via a google form. The Instagram account has amassed over 21,000 followers and has published 1,280 posts since being started in 2014. Not only are the people submitting posts shrouded in mystery, so are the owners of the account. The identity of the admins are a complete mystery.
It seems as if , Spotted got its name from quite literally “spotting” odd occurrences on campus. For example, one student submitted a photo of a mouse trap in the New Rez dining hall. The account occasionally branches out from posting confessions to also include advice for incoming students and host events. In March, Spotted even hosted their own fat squirrel competition. While not all submissions are included in Spotted’s daily posts, the account gives many students a platform where they can share the bizarre or funny confessions they have on their chest. One student shared that they “can’t stop eating wafers and I think I need help”, asking fellow students for advice. The anonymity of these posts makes you feel as though anyone around you could’ve been the person responsible for holding on to such hilarious secrets.
The candid nature of the posts is fueled by the absence of consequences – with students aware that their thoughts, opinions, and stories cannot be traced back to them. Sure, a student can share on Spotted that the person they were eyeing on the 3rd floor of the Redpath was cute. But would they go up to them and say so? Absolutely not.
Confessing such private thoughts can feel easier when not faced with the downside of people you know remembering them. I mean, do you really want to be reminded years later of a brief dining hall crush you had during your first semester? Due to the volume of posts from the account, specific stories seldom stay on anyone’s mind the minute a new one is available. Their viewers are hungry for gossip, not pausing to think about last week’s news.
My introduction to Spotted McGill took place around Halloween of my first year. Looking for something to do that weekend, I stumbled across Spotted which, at the time, was promoting a power hour to celebrate the occasion. It was then that I did some further scrolling to discover a plethora of juicy confessions. Over time, hearing my friends say things like “can’t wait to see Spotted’s next post” or “there’s no way you haven’t seen this” became standard practice at dining hall tables. It became routine to crowd around someone’s phone and read over the latest post. It didn’t take long after discovering Spotted that I started to jokingly refer to the page as my daily paper. But in all honesty, Spotted had become exactly that – soon infiltrating the fresh routine I had built for myself as a first year student.
New to the city, coming from a suburban town in Ontario, I had become used to hiding within a crowd whenever on campus. It’s easy to lose yourself in the buzz of “rush hour” foot traffic on Sherbrooke and feel reduced to yet another number at McGill. Being able to learn about traditions McGill students participate in, such as the ginger run on St Patrick’s Day, or different spots around the city made me feel like less of an outsider.
This disconnect is stronger for students who leave for home during the summer. I’m currently writing this article nestled between busy commuters on the GO train, gazing up at the CN Tower. Anticipating my next hot dog on the lower field, I can’t help but feel detached from the community I had felt so embedded in mere months ago. It is then that I long to keep myself updated through Spotted’s posts.
Not only does Spotted McGill make students feel connected to their peers, it helps us feel less shame about our own experiences while providing comedic relief. Spotted acts as the court jester sitting in our pockets. With the filtered, brand-deal friendly stories we see daily on social media, it is refreshing to have someone we can either sympathize with or laugh at. The choice is really up to you. Reading people’s shameful confessions serves as a comforting reminder that we’re not the only ones experiencing embarrassing moments.
Following this account makes us feel part of an exclusive club, as first years crammed inside the hallway outside Leacock 132 looking at a sea of unfamiliar faces. Reading these posts gives us common ground to connect on. Whether it’s to marvel over someone’s worst hookup story or to see the latest fat squirrel update, being the person who gets to tell everyone else that they saw today’s Spotted post before them makes you feel connected to McGill’s own gossip girl.
By concealing the identity of the confessors on this page, we actually get to know each other on a much more personal level. The lack of identification in this space allows for students to be more vulnerable, allowing us to hear more candidly about each others lives. Maybe anonymity is the way to go when building a stronger community after all.