Sex, drugs, guns…and puppies are some of the things you can see on the tigers901 Snapchat page, which gives 10-second bursts of insight into the unseen culture of student life.
While many of the photos consist of jokes, memes, outfits and people sleeping on campus, the snapchat account also shows people smoking marijuana, snorting cocaine, flashing their bare breasts and bullying other students.
Students only need to send a photo or video to Tigers901, and in turn, the admins will post it to their story for all to see.
“Tigers901 provides a platform, a creative outlet, and a novel medium for self-expression,” said the creators of the account, who wished to remain anonymous. “[We want] to protect the privacy of our users with care and diligence [and] unite, uplift, and inspire Tigers everywhere.”
According to the admins, the Snapchat account was created in April due to boredom.
“Simply put, we were bored and we knew other students were bored, so we decided to do something about it. It needed to be made,” they said. “We knew tigers901 would spread like wildfire.”
With almost 2,000 followers, the admins said they get around 1,000 snaps a day on average.
“We honestly do go through all of them, but we do not post all of them,” the admins said. “We have a strict privacy policy, in which we don’t post any personal information, which includes names, usernames, phone numbers, etc. We want to protect our followers’ privacy as best we can, because this was made for them. Without the great support from our followers, there would be no tigers901.”
In addition to ignoring snaps that reveal personal information, the admins also prohibit photos or videos that are too vulgar.
“We had some X-rated snaps,” the admins said. “Some included strap-ons and ping pong balls.”
Even though they take the time to watch it, the opinions of those who follow tigers901 differ greatly.
“I think the appeal of tigers901 is just being able to interact with other students in any way without being censored,” said Christian Smith, recording technology sophomore.
Smith said that the Snapchat page is gaining its popularity through infamy; because it is comprised of nudes and drugs, more people will want to see it.
“I do think tigers901 has a negative impact on some students because it is so open and anybody can see what’s posted, not just university students,” Smith said. “The nudes and drug use aren’t uncommon on tigers901 which could be why it is gaining so much popularity.”
Smith is not too keen on women posting nudes and said it can lead to bigger issues.
“Even though it’s a student-run Snapchat and this is a college campus, posting nudes on such an open media outlet is trashy and can lead to bigger issues such as bullying or sexual harassment,” Smith said.
Other students said the tigers901 page is a fun addition to student life and can be a great way to meet people.
“I post to it mostly because I find it a great way to make more connections at the University of Memphis,” said Madeline Corley,an education sophomore. “I just see it as a good way to keep connected with the U of M from a student point of view outside of the same old same old.”
Tigers901 shows off student life in its most raw form, and many students really appreciate that perspective, Corley said.
“The appeal of it to me is seeing how Memphis really is from other college students,” Corley said. “There are really no rules to it, causing it to be reality of college life,”
Although Corley saidhe enjoys watching the 15-minute stories, she believes it can have negative repercussions.
“There’s definitely downsides of anything social media these days,” Corley said. “Anybody can screenshot or copy pictures and videos from the app and keep it to themselves or show them around to others. Because of that feature I do think students should take into consideration the possible outcomes of doing so.”
Corley said that women should have the right to express themselves if they want to post naked photos, but has concerns over the format.
“As for the nudes, I’m greatly opinionated on the ability to show your body any way you want to because it’s a beautiful thing each of us have,” Corley said. “However, I believe the reasoning behind sending a mass social post of your naked body is more of the concerning issue at hand.“
The creators of Tigers901 snapchat page pose anonymously.
