Replacing Hatred With Hype

The Liberty Hype Instagram account gives students an anonymous platform to promote positivity

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Liberty Hype has been able to gain 211 followers since its first post on Sept. 4, expanding the reach of their mission to uplift.

Ianne Salvosa, Co editor-in-chief of The Ledger

The owners of the Liberty Hype Instagram account believe that if you don’t have anything nice to say, keep it off of social media.

Instagram has been plagued with anonymous accounts, each claiming to be on the one stop shop for gossip and drama. But in the midst of the negativity, one account has become a standout. The Liberty Hype account (@liberty.hype.lhs) is a project created by a group of students to inspire students to be kind to one another. One of the account’s owners was motivated to create the account after meeting a student that had been victimized by a gossip account. After seeing the student’s positive outlook despite the hate they had received, the owner decided to encourage others to have the same perspective.

“I decided that Liberty has been ruled by drama, rumors, and hate for too long and I wanted to provide an account that promoted happiness, kindness, and fun,” the owner said. 

In order to promote those values, the public account allows any student to send in a direct message with a compliment for another student. Then, the account will post a screenshot of the message, cropping out any identifying information of the person who submitted the comment.

Submissions range from compliments on someone’s looks to expressions of gratitude towards friends who have helped them through a tough time. The account is only on its third week but has received about 90 submissions, posting 54.

“Some people don’t want it posted and some just want to get something personal off of their chest,” the owner said.

Sophomore Ally Reyes first came across the Liberty Hype account when the account posted a DM complimenting her sweet personality and positivity.

“I was really happy to get those shoutouts. It was really sweet and made my day,” Reyes said. “I like how it’s anonymous too, it makes it more fun.”

In regards to the account’s anonymity, the owner describes its purpose as a way to maintain trust between them and the person submitting the comment. If the owner keeps their own anonymity, then the submitter can trust that they will keep theirs as well. The mystery of the owners is also designed to impact how students perceive the account.

“I chose to be anonymous, that way people wouldn’t judge me for who I am or by reputation,” the owner said. 

As of right now, the owners plan on revealing themselves in the near future, possibly after they have received 200 submissions. But no matter what the account owners’ real identity is, followers of the account exhibit gratitude towards their mission.

“The fact that a person, or multiple people would set up an account just to spread some positive energy is honestly such a great thing to see,” senior Liam Graham said. 

Graham had submitted a shoutout of his own, but instead of directing towards a friend, his message was for the account. Disappointed by the presence of gossip accounts, Graham gave praise towards the owners of Liberty Hype.

“I get that cancel culture and what not is pretty much just a part of social media, but when I see it happening to students in a school, especially mine— I’m going to take action,” Graham said.

As students take the initiative to make kindness a priority, the owner believes it should become the default behavior.

“I think positivity should be how we fill the void when we are bored. It spreads like wildfires and it can do amazing things,” the owner said. 

Shout out recipients and followers feel as if the wildfire has already spread. 

“I really like the LHS hype account. Whoever created that deserves the world,” Reyes said. “I think spreading positivity and kindness is very important, and they’re doing a great job with that.” 

The reception of the account has mainly been positive; however, they have received a fair share of hate. But regardless, Liberty Hype was able to gain 211 followers since its first post on Sept. 4, expanding the reach of their mission to uplift.

To submit an anonymous shout out, send a direct message to @liberty.hype.lhs on Instagram. Submissions should uphold the owners’ values of spreading kindness and positivity.