Interviewing the enigma behind @usydaffirmations
Fabian Robertson writes.
‘I claim’; ‘I affirm’: two phrases that, prior to 2021, would be practically unheard of outside of a cult, yet have become part of the lexicon of many USyd students. At the heart of this is an Instagram page: @usydaffirmations.
Since first uploading on 11 September, @usydaffirmations has cultivated an audience of over 1100 followers by applying the affirmations meme template to niche USyd trends. Such is the page’s popularity that, last Friday, USyd’s official Instagram account attempted to mimic its posts for higher engagement. Thanks to a fiercely loyal fanbase with no tolerance for bullshit corporate PR, these efforts were promptly shut down (likely to the chagrin of some poor marketing intern).
The page itself is undoubtedly well-known. The identity of its owner, however, is a closely guarded secret. Through tentative DMs and assurances of complete anonymity, I was able to conduct a brief interview with its mysterious owner.
What follows is an unedited copy of the interview. Note that they did not answer many of the questions I put to them.
Fabian Robertson: Where do you get your inspiration from?
@usydaffirmations: I get my inspiration from my own experiences of uni life at USyd, the experiences of friends, or from articles I’ve read in Honi Soit. I try to find a balance between content that is specific enough to feel uber-relatable whilst still being relevant to a wide group of students.
FR: What do you like and dislike the most about running the page?
@usydaffirmations: I like being able to document the many aspects of USyd that make up the student experience, and it’s interesting to see what resonates with people. I think it fosters a sense of community – especially during lockdown whist we are all away from campus and each other – to relate with others over the small stuff like bin-chicken harassment.
FR: Has the fame changed you or your behaviour at all? Do you feel different rocking up to tutes knowing you’re a bit of a secret celebrity?
@usydaffirmations: As much as I like to joke about being a ‘niche internet micro celebrity’, that’s mainly because I think it’s quite funny that the account is getting the traction that it is. I made the account on a whim after a friend jokingly suggested it when we noticed the rise in city/university affirmation accounts. It was mainly for my own fun but it’s nice to see other people relating with the content too. Though, it is funny to have friends unknowingly sending my own affirmations to the group chat.
FR: What will happen to the page when you graduate? Have you thought of conducting a secret hiring process to pick your predecessor?
@usydaffirmations: I have thought about this occasionally, it will just depend if people are still enjoying the account and wanting to see the content. Affirmations accounts are really trendy at the moment, but I am wondering if the trend will die off? I guess only time will tell, but as long as the people want USyd Affirmations it will be there to AFFIRM your dreams <33.
FR: How did you feel about Isla Mowbray’s Honi article about you?
@usydaffirmations: I was really shocked when I first saw the article - mainly because I never expected to be the subject of an Honi article - but I thought it was really funny and well written. Even though the article was trying to reveal my identity it was pretty good PR for the page, and I think it’s funny that I’ll be able to look up that article once I’ve long gone from Uni and point to a time where I was the admin of an affirmations page. Isla is lovely and her messages over the past few weeks have been very entertaining, even though her detective work was unsuccessful. If I ever decide to reveal my identity, she’ll be the first to know.
FR: What do you hope to do with your life when you graduate?
@usydaffirmations: Travel, focus on my career, social justice.
FR: What are you most keen to do after lockdown?
@usydaffirmations: Squeezing my friends and family that I haven’t seen in months <3.
FR: There’s been some recent competitiveness between you and some of the other Uni affirmations pages. Who do you think would win in a fight and why?
@usydaffirmations: UNSW affirmations seems ready to fight to be honest... but I feel like there’s an affinity between UTS affirmations and I (let’s be friends @UTS) so I would say we would join forces to defeat UNSW & the other unis.
FR: Thoughts on Mark Scott?
@usydaffirmations: I think the appointment of Mark Scott – a non-academic - as the Vice Chancellor of one of the country’s key academic institutions is emblematic of how universities have become businesses which put profits over education. I think Mark Scott will do exactly what he has been employed to do: oversee job cuts, course cuts, and casualisation. I understand that this is what management think is necessary for the sustainability of the University, but I think this will inevitably degrade our education & staff working conditions, and I can’t get on board with that.
FR: Thoughts on proposed cuts to the arts?
@usydaffirmations: I am strongly opposed. A comprehensive liberal arts degree is why many come to USyd for their education, and the recently proposed cuts threaten this. The axing of entire departments is unacceptable, and the proposed cuts of approximately 209 units offered across the arts in languages, philosophy, political economy, visual arts, education, etc will reduce the quality of a USyd Arts degree.
FR: How do you respond to characterisations of @usydaffirmations as a cult or religion? By asking followers to CLAIM does that mean you are invoking a higher, spiritual power? What happens to us when we die?
@usydaffirmations: USyd affirmations is X NOT X a cult. Followers who type “I CLAIM” simply undergo a global self-hypnosis with #positive #inspiring manifestations from the heart <33 which manifest great abundance in our lives. When we die, we live out our claimed manifestations for eternity within our own personal mindspaces in which our lives DO have meaning.
FR: Do you hope to wield your newfound power for good or evil? Explain.
@usydaffirmations: A bit of both... I want the account to be a generally positive place where people feel represented and students can relate over shared experiences – something we can look back on that captures as much of the USyd experience as possible. I think that’s pretty good. But I do occasionally like to use the account to critique some of the aspects of USyd that I don’t like – elitism, funding cuts, the rejection of Covid-WAM for this semester, etc. Some may say that’s the evil aspect, but I do genuinely think these issues form the backdrop of what it’s like to be a student at the moment, so they deserve representation in an account about the student experience at USyd. I also think the fact that people are resonating with those posts says a lot.
FR: Do you have a favourite book, movie, tv show or song / artist?
@usydaffirmations: My current favourites are:
Book: Sapiens
Movie: Promising Young Woman
TV Show: Squid Game... what else?
Artist: WILLOW
FR: ICAC? Yes or no?
@usydaffirmations: YES
FR: Are you vaccinated?
@usydaffirmations: Of course
FR: Pineapple on pizza? Yes or no?
@usydaffirmations: NO X