The Samford Beez Instagram account has become a surprisingly reliable news source for many Samford students over this past year – myself included. The account posts semi-satirical headlines pertaining to newsworthy Samford topics. It has been active since Sept. 23, 2022, amassing a significant audience of 1,481 followers.
The Samford Beez is run by one anonymous Samford student, who will be referred to as “the Bee” throughout this article. For many Samford students, the Bee’s posts are a highlight of their social media doom-scrolling — after a post drops, students will repost the headline countless times on their Instagram stories. The Bee credits this positive reception to the intense relatability of the content.
“What’s so funny about the Bee is that it’s not me that is funny — it’s the Samford community that inspires the articles,” the Bee said.
As a journalist, I find The Samford Beez extremely entertaining and important. The Samford Beez is a fun example of college newsworthiness and relatability in a bite-sized medium that serves our fast-paced, information-heavy culture well. According to the Bee, drawing inspiration from other satirical news accounts on social media has helped the account achieve this.
The Bee’s headlines take hot topics that Samford students are already discussing and formats them for social media in a very accessible way.
“A majority of the headlines come from comments that other people have in conversation that actually happen,” the Bee shared
As an example, the Bee referenced a post from Oct. 18, 2022. The post – which reads “Student avoids Ben Brown all year to evade getting involved in philanthropy” – was inspired by a friend’s joke about avoiding “eye contact with anyone on Ben Brown during one of the philanthropy weeks.”
“Thankfully,my friends make a lot of jokes,” the Bee added
Do not mistake this fun-loving tone as complete irreverence, however. Not only are the topics The Samford Beez reports real Samford news, the Bee hasn’t been afraid to adopt a more serious tone for a few of the account’s posts, either. For the posts of Christmas of 2022 and Easter of 2023, The Samford Beez included heartfelt captions about the meaning of Christ for these particular holidays.
The appeal of The Samford Beez’s coverage about life at Samford is that it is real and it’s what students want to see. It’s why the account blew up, the same as many college meme accounts all over the country do. Students want to know what’s happening around us on campus, but in a way that doesn’t interfere with our demanding schedules. The Bee is exceptionally grateful for all of the love the account has received.
“I didn’t expect it to strike a nerve with so many people, but I’m thrilled that it has,” the Bee shared.
The Bee loves to play it by ear, so the account doesn’t have too many specific future plans (aside from a potential merch drop) other than “making people smile and helping them not take Samford and life too seriously.”
“I make the stories when I want to,” the Bee said, “and as long as people find them funny, I will keep making them.”
Arts & Life Editor
