During the COVID-19 pandemic, the days seem more prolonged, and activities that used to be amusing become tedious. As you scroll through the never ending feed of Instagram posts and stories, you spark up the idea of taking a quick picture of your lunch one day. As the “one-time thing” becomes a passionate habit, you decide to make a whole account dedicated to your favorite foods. 

Despite the long hours of boredom during COVID-19, some students decided to be innovative and keep themselves busy. “I started spending more time cooking and playing around with food during quarantine. It was around then when I wanted to start an account since I had so much more time at home to cook,” junior Jamie Say said. Say has a food account—@jsay.eats, where she shares personalized recipes, meals, and reviews of restaurants. Say also posts various food recommendations. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by jamie (@jsay.eats)

Junior Emma Wirz also decided to partake in the trend. Wirz produced a food account—@ems_eatery to reinforce her love for cooking. “I recently created a food account on Instagram because I love to cook and try out new foods. During quarantine, I’ve had more time to cook and bake, so I decided that creating this account would be a fun thing to do,” Wirz said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by emma (@ems_eatery)

Although Wirz followed the trend, she puts her own twist on the account since she is a vegetarian and has different limits around food. “Being vegetarian influences my account because I make and post food that is environmentally sustainable, healthy, and yummy,” Wirz said.

Despite the popularity of food accounts, seniors and co-founders of @jordanlimcloset, Naomi Jordan and Hailey Lim created a clothing account. “Haley Lim and I started the account as a creative way to sell our clothes to people that we know during quarantine. It was also an easy way to make money,” Jordan said. According to Jordan, the separate Instagram account resembles a business account that can be utilized for personal use.

For some, following the accounts gives them the inspiration to try these activities on their own.“I follow Emma Wirz’s food account. All the food on her account seems really good and seems like healthy alternatives. I definitely want to try and make different foods and even copy some of the foods she has put on her account,” junior Sophia Swenson said.

After creating your customized Instagram account, you develop a long list of posts and comments. You start to notice more of your friends creating similar accounts. As your feed becomes flooded with different activity accounts, a new community is formed, where students can interact virtually by commenting on others’ posts. Now the pandemic days don’t feel as long, and you feel connected to your community once again.