It has been a little over a year since @wjc_memes made its first post on Instagram. Not long after that, @wjc_memes became the talk of the campus. The page reached 100 followers within a few weeks of its first post. Now, the page has garnered over 900 followers and has been a consistent presence on the Instagram feeds of many William Jewell College students. The page recently requested another interview with The Hilltop Monitor, and we were happy to oblige. I reached out to the secretive owner of the account to get an update on the page.

“The creative process has been challenging,” @wjc_memes said in regards to how the new school year and COVID-19  have impacted their mindset when it comes to running the page.  

“I don’t wanna just make a bunch COVID-related memes (there’s plenty of other stuff around campus to make fun of). The mindset remains the same: give students something to laugh about, especially now when it can be hard to do that,” @wjc_memes said.

The fact that @wjc_memes has persisted for over a year at this point, especially when other Jewell-based social media accounts like a Jewell confessions account and a parody account of Jewell’s president, Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, have burnt out quickly after their creation, is surprising. I asked the page creator about these controversies and how @wjc_memes has been able to stay relatively free of controversy for so long, both within the administration and among students.

“I felt like I made my stance toward those pages [the Jewell confessions and the parody MacLeod Walls accounts] pretty clear. Ultimately it comes down to the underlying purpose of why these pages exist. For those Twitter pages, as far as I can tell, the purpose was to create drama. The purpose of @wjc_memes has always been to give Jewell students something to laugh about. More often than not that does not involve controversy (sometimes it has), but I think the drive to be a positive influence on campus is what has set this page apart from others,” @wjc_memes said.

@wjc_memes is looking to spread laughter to as many people on campus as possible, and on a campus as small as Jewell’s, an influx of new students provides the best opportunity for @wjc_memes to grow. 

“I’m pleasantly surprised at how well new students have responded to the page. Recently there have been a lot of high schoolers committed to Jewell who have followed the page, which I think is hilarious,” @wjc_memes said. “I think it’s interesting because last year the page was the new thing that everyone picked up, but for the first-years it’s just another part of the Jewell experience, and that was a big milestone for me.”

Along with that, @wjc_memes discussed its upcoming goals for this school year.

“I would like to see consistent growth on the page, but I also understand that there’s a limiting factor of how many students there are. I would say the main goal is to be relatively active on a week-to-week basis, and see where it goes from there,” @wjc_memes said.

When people talk about @wjc_memes on campus, one question always comes up: who runs the account? The person or persons who run @wjc_memes have remained a mystery since the very beginning, and some students have been working hard to figure it out. There have been several theories floating around on campus. I decided to ask @wjc_memes if they have heard any theories that they found interesting or if there were some that were close to the truth.

“I won’t name names, but the guesses that some people have thrown out are interesting to see, to say the least. Some people have point-blank [direct messaged] the page with their theories. There are definitely certain students at Jewell that are more likely to be suspected of running it, but I will answer the same way I did last year: No one has been 100% correct with their guesses yet, and it’s more complicated than everyone has suggested so far,” @wjc_memes said.

This raises the question: why the anonymity and mystery when it comes to the identity of who runs the page?

“More than anything, it comes down to my preference to compartmentalize the two,” @wjc_memes said. “If people found out who ran the page, people wouldn’t see it the same way. It’s like watching a magic trick and then seeing how it’s done, it takes the fun out of it. I have personal reasons to keep the two separate as well, but for the most part, it’s about keeping it fun for the students.”

@wjc_memes certainly has done that. The page provides a consistent source of laughter and discussion among students whenever a new post drops. If you do not already follow @wjc_memes on Instagram, I highly suggest you do. We all could use a bit more laughter in the world right now.

This year, a new William Jewell College-related Instagram account has taken the Jewell community by storm – wjc_memes. This entertaining meme account that creates and posts memes about Jewell has quickly garnered a following of over 500 people on Instagram, and the account is still growing at a strong pace.

Recently, wjc_memes came to an agreement with the Hilltop Monitor where, if they received 200 likes on a specific post, the Hilltop Monitor would write a story about the account. Needless to say, wjc_memes reached the goal that was set out for them. I had the opportunity to talk with the person who runs the account over Instagram and I am pleased to share everything I learned. So without further ado, here’s some insight into the hilarious yet mysterious wjc_memes. 

“It all started in this group chat I had with some friends, all of which also attend college here, and we’d share memes with each other over this chat,” wjc_memes said in regard to their inspiration for a Jewell-centered meme account.

As the memes shared by the person who runs wjc-memes began to evolve from general memes to more Jewell-related ones, they got the idea to create an Instagram account to post all of these memes. After running it by their friends in the chat, who all agreed to the idea, the account started with a crudely drawn picture of the Cardinal logo and expanded from there.

“The page was just a fun thing I’d do to get some laughs,” wjc_memes said in regards to the original goal of the account.

They do acknowledge that their perception of the account and what it can accomplish has changed. After receiving messages about how the memes have brightened people’s days, they realized that this account could do more than just give a few chuckles, but also bring some genuine joy into people’s busy and stressful lives. They have also noticed that the account has broken down social barriers at Jewell.

“Jewell is a very clique-y school,” said the runner of the account. “Everybody tends to stay in their groups, so I’m glad that I can use this platform to break down some of those barriers and bring some resemblance of unity to the college.”

Something that I have always thought about is what the administration thinks about the account. I was pretty sure that they were aware of the meme account, and this was confirmed by wjc_memes. I have noticed that the account has been careful not to cross the line with any of their posts, which goes a long way towards keeping wjc_memes away from any controversy. 

“The last thing I want is for a light roast to turn into a personal attack,” said wjc_memes. “I’m very careful when I make or post another person’s meme of that particular style.”

 They acknowledge that the best way to avoid problems with the administration is to remain anonymous and ensure that potentially destructive memes don’t get published.  

I was also curious as to the process of coming up with the idea for a meme and then creating it. For brainstorming, they try to take something that is common to most Jewell students and turn that into a meme.

 “The lockdown drill is a good example,” said wjc_memes.  “It was something that every student had to participate in, and most people just see that as a thing we have to do, so it really comes down to finding common ground.” 

In terms of creating the memes, they do everything on their phone with about six different photo and video editing apps, all of which are user-friendly. 

“Once I have the idea it’s just a matter of finding the right picture to hit the message home,” said wjc_memes.

I have noticed that the time span between memes has grown significantly since the account first started. Figuring that the account was a large commitment, I decided to ask about the challenges in balancing wjc_memes with school and other activities. 

“Recently, the page has been a large commitment,” wjc_memes confirmed. “Balance-wise, school and my other involvements take priority, so if I have to postpone a meme for a day or so, I will.” 

One of the biggest talking points surrounding this account is the identity of who runs it. Everybody has their suspicions, but not many people know for sure, and those who do carefully guard wjc_memes’ real identity. I also noticed in their responses to my questions that they were very careful in their answers as to not give too many hints towards their identity. wjc_memes is well aware of the enigma surrounding their account. 

“All I can say is that it’s more complicated than people think,” said wjc_memes. 

“I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about revealing my identity at some point, but if I do, it won’t be anytime soon,” wjc_memes said when asked about the possibility of revealing their identity. 

They are well aware that the secrecy around the account adds to the allure of it, and they don’t plan to give that up anytime soon.

It’s hard to say how long this Jewell-centered meme page will last, as it in part depends on when the owner of the account graduates. 

“The page exists to give the gift of laughter, and I don’t want that vision to change anytime soon,” said the account runner. I say we just enjoy the funny memes while we can.

I want to take this time to say thanks to wjc_memes for taking time out of their busy schedule to answer my questions. I also want to say congratulations on hitting 500 followers and that if you don’t already follow them, change that. Trust me, it is worth it.