This article was written by a student writer from her campus at U Conn.
Jonathan the Husky, Soup Doop, and that really cool guy from your statistics class all have one thing in common: they can be considered college celebrities.
The definition of a campus celebrity is pretty loose. Urban Dictionary states that a campus celebrity is “someone at your school who you develop a fascination with even though you know nothing about them because they’re attractive, weird-looking, or just seem to lead an interesting life.” However, I would say that campus celebrities also include those elusive individuals that everyone knows about but is not very close to.
My friends and I often joke about college celebrities, instantly texting each other when we see a student athlete, a favorite dining hall employee, or a guy we once saw doing fantastic karaoke.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why this “celebrity on campus” trend has come about in recent years. I think a lot of it has to do with the internet age and our parasocial relationships with those we admire. By picking on random figures or creating elaborate backstories for those we don’t know, we both feel more entertained and connected to others in our community.
However, there is a niche subcategory of college celebrities that often intrigues people more: those where the person’s true identity remains a mystery. Whether it’s a person who inhabits the leather suit of the university mascot or a mysterious presence on social media, anonymity can take celebrity status to a whole other level. Here at the University of Connecticut, we have a particularly special anonymous celebrity: the UConn Spider-Man.
The Glory of Spidey
I recently had the chance to profile UConn Spider-Man for UConn’s student newspaper, The Daily Campus. I also wanted to look at our conversation through the lens of this celebrity trend on campus.
UConn Spider-Man, or Spidey as I’ll call him, made his first appearance at HuskyTHON 2022. Looking for a way to introduce himself there, Spidey realized that it’s much easier to be vulnerable when no one knows who you are.
“In real life, I’m as shy as it gets,” Spidey told me during a Zoom call.
While it would be foolish of me to ignore that part of Spidey’s appeal comes from the connection to the fictional character, it seems that the UConn community as a whole finds it easier to open up to someone who doesn’t have a face. Spidey often has “emotional and intimate experiences” with students, sharing their greatest struggles and excitements.
Along with the small, intimate interactions, there were some more comedic moments that showcased his glory.
For example, he told me about an instance where he met a woman wearing a Spider-Man shirt.
“Have you met the UConn Spider-Man?” he asked her.
She burst out excited saying that she loved him and would love to meet him again.
“You know what I would do to find out who he is?” she continued to say.
“I wonder,” said Spidey.
While this strong sense of connection might scare off a “campus celebrity,” Spidey believes it’s one of the reasons he does what he does.
“Due to the fact that I have ‘UConn Spider-Man’ in mine [Instagram handle], I represent the student body to a degree… I try to be for the student body, you know what I mean? I don’t know if I necessarily represent UConn, I feel like it’s a little bit, but I’d like to say that I’m involved on campus or whatever I can do,” Spidey said.
There are definitely downsides to being famous on a college campus. When you’re famous but anonymous, these challenges can be especially unique. When I brought this up, I compared Spidey to Hannah Montana. He laughed and explained that I wasn’t necessarily wrong.
“To keep your identity a secret, you have to split your life. There are people I was friends with like myself, and there are people I was friends with like Spidey, and I couldn’t share those secrets with some people,” said Spidey, “You can’t really commit to something… One club will want you to go [to meetings], but sometimes you can’t connect as yourself to the club. You have to contact them as Spider-Man. They know you, but they don’t know you You.”
There’s another aspect to being an anonymous celebrity on campus that I hadn’t considered before my conversation with Spidey. Sometimes when people see a Spider-Man suit, they don’t know if it’s one a UConn Spiderman or on UConn Spiderman.
Since Spidey’s first appearance at UConn, Spider-Men and a host of other superheroes have appeared on college campuses across the country. Spidey says that people have even gone to bars dressed as him in an attempt to pick up women. At one point there was even a Spidey group chat on campus. While Spidey says they were just “posting pictures” and “talking shit,” I’d love to get a peek at what a Spider-Man-filled group chat would look like.
The Future of The Campus Celebrity
While I’m not sure if the “university celebrity” culture will be around in the long run or if it’s just a passing moment that will fade into oblivion, it sure is fun to be a part of for now. Until the next time a famous character shows up in Storrs, I’ll basically be picking random people to be my dining room crushes and social media favorites.
