Instagram is no stranger to anyone at James Madison High School (JMHS), with nearly every student, teacher, club, team and even class having an account (@JMHSHawkTalk for anyone asking). Recently, however, there has been a surge in a new type of school-centric social media: JMHS gimmick accounts.

These gimmick accounts appear to be run by students, however it is somewhat difficult to tell as the account owners are almost always anonymous. The only reason that they are believed to be students is because the things these accounts are dedicated to are so juvenile, and sometimes spiteful, that many of our staff can’t comprehend the idea that it could be a teacher.

These new profiles are countless; there are accounts for JMHS confessions, worst fits, anti maskers, even one dedicated to bathroom feet seen from under stall doors. However, for the purposes of this article two of these accounts will be explored: JMHS Sleepers and Bad Parking.

JMHS Sleepers

JMHS Sleepers chronicles one of the most popular school extracurriculars: sleep. Specifically, sleeping in class. The instagram page is littered with images of students in the middle of a teacher’s lecture or a group assignment taking some much-needed rest and relaxation.

While JMHS Sleepers has become immensely popular, so has the ability to create fabricated submissions for it.

“Faking takes the fun out of things” Sean Tardy (‘22) said. “It’s only funny with accounts like @jmhsconfessions, which post outrageous lies.”

Although this account is very easy to fake submissions for – even some of our staff have gotten on the page through less than honest means – it is far more light-hearted than the next account.

JMHS Bad Parking

JMHS Bad Parking has drawn some criticism for posting pictures of cars poorly- sometimes illegally -parked on or around school grounds. The account frequently shows these cars with their license plates in full view and unobscured, allowing the drivers of these cars to be ridiculed easily.

“I started this account for jokes” The account owner who wished to stay anonymous said in an Instagram direct message. “Madison is filled with horrible drivers that deserve to be posted.”

The owner started the account out of spite toward poor and unsafe driving, and they intend to continue posting.

JMHS Bad Parking seems to be the originator for these JMHS-themed gimmick accounts, and so they have a lot to say about their imitators.

“Personally, I think a lot of these gimmick accounts are useless.” The owner said. “I like JMHS Sleepers, but accounts like ‘bathroom feet’ aren’t a funny concept.”

Clearly, these gimmick instagrams aren’t going away any time soon, but their quality remains in question, even among other account owners. As these accounts become more numerous, which concepts stick and which will be ignored will come into focus.