While Oxford University’s official Instagram boasts 1.8 million followers, student content creators are building audiences independent of institutional channels, offering authentic perspectives that prospective students increasingly seek before applying, per a report by Cherwell, Oxford’s oldest independent student newspaper.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend, with multiple Oxford student creators citing lockdowns as the catalyst for their online presence. These digital storytellers now document collegiate life with followers numbering in the thousands, balancing academic responsibilities with content creation schedules.

Creator Profiles and Motivations

Three prominent Oxford student content creators maintain active presences across platforms. 

Oliver (@oliversoxford) conducts street interviews and creates satirical content featuring fictional aristocrat “Bartholomew Hamish Montgomery,” while balancing his law studies. 

Meagan (@meaganloyst) produces daily visual diaries that showcase both aesthetic and authentic aspects of university life. During her first term, she deliberately targeted building a 10,000-follower TikTok audience.

Meanwhile, Chloe (@chloepomfret), who began content creation pre-pandemic, focuses on representing working-class student experiences and highlighting financial challenges like Oxford’s term-time work restrictions.

Fame and Plans

All three creators report instances where online recognition translates to campus visibility, with Oliver and Chloe ranking #2 and #6 on a recent BNOC (Big Name On Campus) list.

Beyond graduation, these influencers leverage their platforms for professional advancement. Meagan founded Gen Z VCs, a global investment community, and secured a monthly column in The Times. Chloe co-chairs Oxford’s Class Act Campaign, interviewing students from care backgrounds to improve university support systems. Oliver researches vaccine misinformation’s legal and ethical dimensions.

“You have to make it a priority to give content creation a real shot. Consistency is everything when you’re starting,” Meagan advises. Oliver notes that content creation differs little from other extracurricular activities at Oxford, except that “I could monetise mine.”