@hairypoppins would like to send you a message.
*open dms*
hairypoppins
HI OMG LET’S BE FRIENDS
Me
HI OMG SURE
… who are you again?
It’s an adrenaline rush like no other to receive a text message from someone who’s read your introduction post on the uoft.25 Instagram page (HUGE kudos to the account admins) and connected with your love for cinnamon rolls, piano, and fictional men. Before you know it, you’ve exchanged TikTok usernames and started to send each other edits of the 2D characters you collectively simp for. However, my experience socializing online before officially arriving as a first-year student has involved a couple of rocky convos. My experiences have opened my eyes to the Dos and Don’ts that we should all be mindful of as we scramble to connect before meeting each other face-to-face in September:
Do:
- Introduce yourself using an area of common interest. I’ve built much better connections with people who’ve told me they liked the same show or music as me—and if I had a dollar for every time I wracked my brain for responses to mundane chitchat, I’d buy myself a new phone.
Don’t:
- Start by hating on something the other person likes. I’ve had someone text me for the first time saying that Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen (my fav animes) were overrated, and that did not make me want to continue the conversation as much as it made me want to report the text as false information.
Do:
- Plan things to do in Toronto once you’re there together—a great way to get to know more about the other person’s interests.
Don’t:
- Tell people you’re not an animal lover. That’s sad. And a little bit frightening. Hit me up and I’ll accompany you to a dog park to meet cute dogs, because animals are the absolute best.
On a serious note, as Orientation Week approaches, I’m beyond ecstatic to finally put faces to the usernames I’ve been conversing with. I’m a bit of an introvert, so having been able to connect with so many people online (thank God for twenty-first century technology, can’t imagine what it would have been like to be in this pandemic in the 80s) has been greatly comforting. Can’t wait to see everyone in September!