More on Instagram...
#Princetagram works so well because of the similarities in sound and spelling to Instagram. Ryan detailed a bit more on how IG works as an engagement channel that the University uses.
The university IG account has a very active user engagement in terms of audience feedback on the posts it publishes. IG is often the channel with the most user engagement.
It allows the university to have user-created content. Often, Ryan says there is a range of messages that students will find more effective coming from fellow students rather than a faceless university account. One example he noted is a student posting about “light at the end of the tunnel” with his #Princetagram message during exams period. He said yes, the university could have communicated this message, but when a current student authored it, it seems more genuine and carries a sense of solidarity.
Many social media channels have specific target demographics. IG is no different. It has a relatively young demographic that allows the university to easily communicate and engage with prospective students.
Also, previous studies have confirmed that teens add more hashtags to their posts than adults, implying that they “may want to make their photos and themselves more exposed to others than adults” (Jang et al. 2015) In addition, teens have more comments and tags per photo, showing a higher predispostiion to be “expressive about themselves in their profiles and photos” (Jang et al. 2015). Considering that the average #Princetagram user is likely to be a current, college-aged student either in their teen or just out of their teen years, the literature suggests that their collective habits are conducive to ceding autonomy of their messages.