Picture this: You’re finished with taking a test in math. You have some time at the end of the period, so you decide to take a quick power nap. Little do you know, someone is taking a picture of you without your knowledge, and you find yourself on the @nvhs_sleepcam Instagram account. This is only one of many Instagram accounts created by some students of Neuqua.

If you’re not familiar with these accounts, here’s where it started. At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, someone decided to create an Instagram account designated to taking pictures of people with bad park jobs in the Neuqua parking lot (@neuqua_parking). It grew in popularity as more individuals sent in images to the owner(s) of the account. From there, more students (most likely juniors and sophomores) developed more accounts. Not to mention, a lot of these accounts were created by people who do not even go to the school. Within the bio, the creator will most likely write something saying “not affiliated with Neuqua.” Who are these people and how much time do they have on their hands to make social media accounts dedicated to a school they don’t even go to?

Even from the beginning, some of them were odd. For example, numerous anonymous “confessions” accounts were formed where students would submit comments about other students such as things like crushes, drama, gossip, etc. Essentially, it was a way to make comments about other students without knowing who said it. Later on, it grew to even more interesting topics. Out on Instagram, there are accounts about people that walk slowly in the halls, PDA (public display of affection) and even one dedicated to the feet of individuals using the men’s restroom.

To a degree, some of the accounts are disturbing. Coming from a student that attends Neuqua Valley, I would not want my picture taken without my permission and uploaded onto the internet. It feels weird, creepy and quite frankly, invasive. If you’re someone who operates one of these accounts, I would delete it. They’re not necessary, despite how humorous they may be.