December 9, 2020

I know I am getting old. I know what kidz do these days elude me. I guess, I just wasn't ready to stare at myself in a professional rear-view mirror. 

Such was my reaction when I saw the link to this title, "UGA's Instagram Takeover Program Surges During Pandemic," in a recent email feed from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. First off, it doesn't help that whenever I see UGA, I want to think golf (I know it is the USGA or the PGA but that's the association). Second, I still don't really understand Instagram, which makes me think of either a telegraph service or a dating site for the elderly. Third, takeovers (with or without a program) never connotate something positive to me. Finally, for something to surge during the pandemic, outside of the pandemic itself, just seems counter-intuitive.

In other words, it's the kind of head-scratching headline that rivals the New York Post's "Headless Body in Topless Bar." And at least I want to read the latter.

I did look up Instagram Takeover on Google, king of the takeover (I am sure there is a YouTube video for acquiring YouTube), to better understand it. Paraphrasing this blog, such takeovers appear to be short-term hand-offs of social media in the interests of pushing out a "brand," one of my favorite words related to marketing, especially colleges (see The Brand. The Bland. May 30, 2015 ). Apparently such takeovers may be done by an "influencer," another one of these fancy-schmancy things the kidz are into these days. When I was growing up, "influencers," on a good day, were Willie Stargell and Franco Harris, on a better day (tempted to write "worse," but won't), they were Bob Prince and Myron Cope.

The logistics of this UGA Instagram Takeover seem extreme.  The Georgia employee who helps coordinates these (with the fantastic title, by the way, of associate director of external engagement and communication) says that “The afternoon prior to the takeover, I email them our username and a unique password for the day for them to use. Once an employer logs into our account, they will only have access to the Instagram story for that day.” Good lord, colleges require us to change our passwords almost daily, and to make sure we use some combination of letters, numbers, symbols, Cyrillic figures, hieroglyphs, retina scans, and stool samples, while at the same time they may be encouraging Four Seasons (Landscaping) to freely use their usernames and passwords?

Later, this same Georgia employee says that companies may "want to add a poll or put up a sticker that allows students to ask questions or tag their company’s handle so students can click to follow their organization." Is that poll going through the Institutional Research Board for approval?  I can't put a picture up in my office without having to get clearance through maintenance, and yet these outsiders can put stickers up where-ever they want?

I guess there are different standards for "internal engagement and communication," eh, than there are for "external engagement and communication." Do as I say not as I do.

All I know is that I am glad such takeovers are not in my professional domain.  My perspective may be too ruined by that successful AOL/Time Warner merger I remember so well.