Humans of New York Inspires Midd Blog

Humans of New York (HONY) is not simply a blog on Tumblr or a Facebook page. With over 9.8 million followers and 6,000 posts as of August 2014, the blog has offered a worldwide audience a lens into the lives of strangers in New York City.

These accomplishments have led to numerous awards and recognitions. At the 2013 Webby Awards, the blog was the recipient of the People’s Voice Award for “Best Cultural Blog” and “The Best Use of Photography.” In addition, Brandon Stanton, the blog’s creator, was named one of Time Magazine’s 30 under 30 People Changing the World.

Humans of Middlebury aims to build off of HONY’s model. August Laska ’17.5, its founder, believes that this blog will add to the College’s social fabric because it will add depth and perspective to the members of our community.

“I think here,” Laska said, “even though we are such a small school, you see someone new everyday.” This blog will force viewers to see, notice and learn about people they haven’t met or have been too scared to approach.

Laska has never taken a photography class, or had a photography blog. However, he hopes to use his passion for photography to break out of his social bubble.

“As a sophomore Feb, I have my 100 friends — if that — and Humans of Middlebury will give me a reason to walk up to people I don’t know and say hello.”

Although Humans of Middlebury does not have access to the same sample size as HONY, it will aim to capture and embody all aspects of life on campus.

The blog’s first post came unexpectedly. Laska was sitting alone doing homework in Proctor lounge when all of a sudden a girl he didn’t know joined him at his table. Instead of avoiding eye contact and ignoring the urge to engage in conversation, Laska changed an awkward moment into what will hopefully become the first of many great first encounters.

This first photo was posted on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. By midnight, the photo had 50 likes. A day and a half later it had received 400. It is important to note that these likes were not just from Middlebury students, but also a compilation of parents and friends from a larger community. This spark of interest speaks to our campus’ desire to learn about each other. Humans of Middlebury challenges the need to be rooted in routines and comfort zones and forces us to notice new faces.