Courtesy of facebook.comOn the Facebook, you can find people with whom you share an interest, catch up with elementary school friends or even talk to God.
Yes, that’s right. God has a Facebook account – and apparently, He attends Washington University.
The Facebook profile allegedly created by God is just one of many floating around in the Wash. U. Facebook web space.
There are dozens of “alternate identity” Facebook profiles, or profiles created under pseudonyms. These profiles represent a wide spectrum of personalities, ranging from the aforementioned religious figure to television characters like Elaine Benes from “Seinfeld” to the entire state of North Dakota.
Clearly, fictional characters and states do not actually attend this fine institution. Rather, several Wash. U. students have discovered a way to manipulate their school e-mail addresses and register multiple Facebook accounts.
The origins of these profiles are typically rooted in inside jokes or entertainment. Senior Pteri Plotnick created the “North Dakota” Facebook accout to help her friend out in a competition for the most Facebook friends.
“I wanted to pick a big, square state that wasn’t heavily populated. South Dakota already has [Mount] Rushmore, so I thought good old North Dakota deserved some [recognition],” said Plotnick.
Sophomore Brian Reale, creator of the “Johnny Bosco” profile, explained that he and his friends, “had a thing where [they would] glorify the Bosco stick.” The Facebook profile seemed like “the most logical thing to do” to honor Bosco sticks and their cheesy goodness, he said. Similarly, sophomore Danny Bravman created the “Nobody” Facebook profile to represent an ongoing joke with his friends.
“Someone made an observation that within a group of friends we had a friend from every state – but nobody was from Wyoming,” recalled Bravman. The fact that “nobody was from Wyoming” turned into a stream of jokes about “Nobody.” For example, Bravman lived in a single room and the joke formed that Nobody was his roommate; Bravman accordingly listed Nobody’s dorm room to be the same as his own.
Indeed, many alternative profiles are very detailed. The profile of “George Oscar Bluth II (G.O.B.),” a character from the television show “Arrested Development,” is completely filled out, thanks to sophomore Elizabeth Hague. Hague created the page “right when course books came out,” so she even went so far as to list courses that she thought G.O.B. would enjoy. Hague began her page as a joke with some friends, including sophomore Jessica Spector (responsible for the “Elaine Benes” profile) and sophomore Blair McNamara (maker of the “God” profile).
“We had fun with the characters we really liked,” explained Spector.
“We really don’t take Facebook that seriously,” qualified McNamara.
Still, McNamara’s fake profile and those of other alternate-profile makers have been embraced by the Facebook community. Fake profiles get an unbelievable amount of friend requests.
The creator of the “Washington University” profile, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect the sanctity (and humor) of the account, noted that he, “stopped friending people at Washington University because they friended [him].”
Bravman agreed, stating that initially he friended his own friends, but he doesn’t actively friend people anymore.
“At one point, Nobody had more friends than [I] did,” he said.
While most Facebook users get random friend requests every once in a while, such requests are the norm for those who maintain alternate facebook profiles. These requests are not only from Washington University students; profile-keepers receive friend requests from students all over the nation. No one is really sure how students from other schools find the alternate profiles.
Plotnick remarked that, “North Dakota has passively waited to be friended” and though “the results within Washington University aren’t that spectacular.[she is] fairly impressed with North Dakota’s other school friend population.”
There is also a good deal of interaction between students with alternate profiles. “Washington University” itself is married to “Chancellor Mark Wrighton,” according to “Washington University”‘s profile. Likewise, the “Elaine Benes” profile states that Benes is married to “David Puddy” of DePaul University. Puddy was one of Benes’s boyfriends on the actual “Seinfeld” show.
“Washington University”‘s maintainer, as well, received a series of messages from a profile called “Balrog of Moria” at Emory University. The “Balrog” posted multiple messages on “Washington University’s” wall criticizing the University and trying to start a Facebook battle.
Reale noted that many people message him to share their experiences with Bosco sticks; one girl even, “asked how to get a hold of Bosco sticks, and if [Reale] could arrange a UPS delivery” of the sticks to her address.
McNamara’s “God” page undoubtedly receives the oddest responses; she has received confirmation messages for friend detail requests that say things like, “God and I were in a serious relationship.”
One alternate Facebook maker is hoping that the traffic generated by these pages can be used to the advantage of the Wash. U. population.
The student responsible for the “Washington University” profile believes that his profile, “has a purpose, more than comedy,” and that it could really help connect the student body. He has started a corresponding group called “Washington University – the Entire Campus.” His goal is, “to get everyone from Washington University who is on Facebook to join the group.” Anyone who wanted an announcement posted on the page would simply have to message the “Washington University” account and its caretaker would post the message or message group members.
“Johnny Bosco’s” Reale also has a plan for his page – “to engender a certain spirit of brotherhood between people who have consumed Bosco sticks.”
But for most of these alternate Facebook profile managers, simply having fun with the page is enough of a reward.
“I didn’t think North Dakota was an especially brilliant idea at the time,” said Plotnick, “but now I’m glad I did it.I am proud to claim that I was definitely among the very first Washington University people to create a frivolous Facebook profile.”