The sarcastic meme account takes the title for the second year in a row
By KAYA DO-KHANH — features@theaggie.org
The Instagram account @ucd_affirmations was voted by UC Davis students as the Best Davis-specific Instagram Account for the second year in a row this spring, winning with 34% of the vote.
The account consists of heavily edited memes that feature sarcastic and relatable affirmations themed specifically around UC Davis students’ experiences. One recent post reads: “I will not crash in a bike circle. I am #aggiesafe.” Another says: “I will not be stopped by CALPIRG on my way to class. They will not make me uncomfortable and pressure me to listen to them, especially when I am late.”
The administrator of the Instagram account, who is a third-year civil engineering major who wishes to remain anonymous, created the account two years ago after seeing other collegiate affirmation-meme accounts and noticing that UC Davis did not have one. The account quickly gained followers, and its current follower count is at 5,700.
“I’m very honored to win Best of Davis twice in a row,” the administrator said. “I really appreciate all of the people who support my account. More than anything, I’m really proud of the community I’ve […] built, and the people that I’ve connected with through my account.”
Some of the content that receives the most engagement includes content focused on finals, the Davis weather and commentary about the university itself, according to the admin.
“[I] based a lot of the posts about things that occurred in my day-to-day student life or things that happened to people who sent their experiences to me,” the admin said.
Second-year agricultural and environmental education major Brisa Garcia said that she started following the account as a first-year because of its humorous and relatable content. She said that she was thrilled to hear about the account’s Best of Davis recognition.
“I appreciate that they take time out of their day to make us laugh,” Garcia said. “I continue to follow this account because it genuinely makes me laugh and feel connected to everyone else at Davis.”
The account seeks to provide UC Davis students with a sense of community by poking fun at experiences that are unique to being an Aggie.
“I think that students feel less scared about situations when they see posts about [them] and are able to sort of realize they aren’t alone,” Garcia said.
Delilah Becerra, a second-year environmental science and management major, said that the account was deserving of the title because of its widespread relatability among students.
“[The content posted is] lighthearted humor about the struggles of Davis students, and I think when people know other people are struggling like them, it’s a comfort,” Becerra said.
Written by: Kaya Do-Khanh — features@theaggie.org
