The University of Vermont’s Center for Health & Wellbeing typically treats the standard round of complaints that are the stuff of college life — common colds to flu viruses to minor injuries on the ski slopes. Increasingly, though, the staff has been concerned with a mysterious rise in the number of students troubled by repetitive-stress hand and wrist issues. Medical staff initially blamed the general use of laptop keyboards and touch-pads, but later zeroed in on one particular impulse and tech tool that seem to be at the root of the problem.
The unlikely culprit is the beauty of the campus, Burlington, and Vermont landscapes, triggering a powerful, at times pathological, need to share it on smartphones via Instagram.
Ian McHale, a junior from Hamilton, N.J., estimates he posts twenty to thirty photos daily — sunsets over Lake Champlain, fall foliage on the Green, fresh powder in the mountains. “No disrespect to my home state of New Jersey,” he says, “but I wasn’t prepared for this. When I’m not taking a picture, I’m thinking about taking a picture. When I’m not thinking about taking a picture, I’m looking at my friends’ pictures.” McHale paused to take a picture of this reporter, selected the Juno filter with a slight vignette, then shared it.
Dr. Jon Porter, director of UVM’s Center for Health & Wellbeing, urges students to watch for Excessive Instagramming Syndrome’s (EIS) warning signs, such as a square-shaped narrowing of one’s field of vision. “This is one of those ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ situations,” Porter says. He encourages students to consider taking periodic breaks from Instagramming photos, perhaps during mud season. Before peak posting periods, a regimen of targeted stretching and strengthening is wise. Porter notes that a new Campus Rec class, “Yoga for a Supple Wrist,” quickly filled to capacity.
In addition to the physical risks linked to EIS, university and local officials are also working to counter the syndrome’s mental and emotional stresses and even potential public safety issues. Instagrammers who regularly register single-digit “likes” for their photos are encouraged to seek counseling around self-esteem. (Jeff Rettew, co-director of the UVM Living Well program, notes that students will no longer be free to share photos of Tucker the Therapy Dog, as Tucker prefers to control his brand through his own Instagram platform.)
On Church Street, pedestrian accidents have increased, according to Burlington Police. As students pause mid-step to snap a picture of the quaint mall, collisions often result. Personal financial losses due to dropped and cracked phones is thought to be significant. Down the hill, popular lakeside locations such as the boardwalk at Waterfront Park or Perkins Pier often become crowded as the sun sinks toward the Adirondacks. As Instagrammers vie for the best angle on the scene, seeking the shot that, with just a bit of color saturation, will wow friends and family, tempers have flared.
Best case scenario, the concerns around Instagram can lead to a teachable moment. “Me, You?, Us!: Building a More Inclusive Instagramming Ethic,” is a new campus program that strives to motivate selfie-centric Instagrammers to turn their phones on other people and the world around them.
Worst case scenario, university officials will closely monitor threatening situations. Annie Stevens, vice provost for student affairs, says, “In the event of a particularly striking sunset forecast, we are prepared to advise our students to avoid clustering in large groups. Of course everyone hopes it never comes to that. But we are committed to the well-being of our students and will do whatever is necessary, as appropriate, to protect them from the very real dangers of scenic splendor.”