Top UMaine social media content in 2023
The University of Maine community created so many exciting and heart-warming memories this year, which we shared on social media.
We witnessed Black Bears travel across the world; explore the sea, sky and stars; showcase innovative research and art; give back to their community; dominate on the court, rink and field; and “shout ’til the rafters ring” during major celebrations like Homecoming and Commencement.
As we look forward to 2024 and another year of Black Bear excellence and pride, we wanted to highlight the social content from 2023 that earned the most engagement, which includes clicked links, reactions, comments and shares, on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok.
These are the top five UMaine social media posts in 2023, one from each major platform, as of Dec. 12:
Facebook: Meet the Kiwibots
No addition to the campus community brought more excitement to Facebook users than the Kiwibots, UMaine Dining’s food delivery robots. Our post about these adorable androids, which express themselves with various emoji eyes and sounds, garnered 179,870 views.
The semiautonomous Kiwibots navigate campus using a camera and GPS system to deliver food ordered through UMaine Dining’s Everyday app. At the beginning of the fall semester, 15 of these robots were deployed in order to meet the student demand for food delivery services. There are now 20 Kiwibots on campus!
“We saw 2 of them motoring around campus when we moved our son in last weekend. They are so cute!!!! Makes me want to order food from them just to see them again. Lol,” one Facebook user commented on our post.
https://www.facebook.com/UniversityofMaine/posts/pfbid033RAfr7J55JTuFEcr4kB7RDkBYNGkLzBTdJjhxBoB4LnkxfLC7Lwpf4AHMMHw1iNUl
Instagram: Rating UMaine snow sculptures
Not long after a recent snowfall in Orono, we scoured campus for the most creative pieces of snowy artwork to showcase and critique in an Instagram reel. The UMaine community delivered, with many literally cool pieces on display.
Among the artwork were a cat sculpture, a throne, several snowmen, a monster and an igloo, the latter which sparked most of the discussion in the comments section.
“My igloo! It’s famous!” wrote one user.
LinkedIn: UMaine student’s documentary on soldiers in Ukraine
With help from the University of Maine, Vita Tomakhiv of Kyiv left her home country — something she never planned to do — in 2022 during the ongoing war with Russia to continue her education. One year later, she returned to capture the experiences of Ukrainian soldiers in a documentary she published on Youtube.
LinkedIn users enjoyed learning about Tomakhiv’s film and story, as our post about it received 17,400 views.
“For me, it was important to show that these people could have continued their lives as usual and their careers if not for this war,” Tomakhiv said at the time. “But they chose to go to the war, not because they hate Russia, but because they love Ukraine, and they want to protect what they love.”
TikTok: ‘Me and the Devil,’ UMaine Men’s Hockey vs. UNH
Following Black Bears’ 5-2 victory over the University of New Hampshire Dec. 1, the Team Maine student ambassadors created a TikTok throwing shade at our archrival. In it, photos of UMaine’s mascot, Bananas T. Bear, and one of UNH’s mascots, Wild E. Cat, rotate while lyrics from the song “Me and the Devil,” by Soap&Skin, play in the background.
The majority of commenters were self-proclaimed Wildcats praising their team and university. One user, however, proposed a conspiracy theory about the two institutions.
“What if umaine and unh were just enemies to lovers this whole time,” the commenter wrote.
X: UMaine featured in Fiske Guide to Colleges 2024
The UMaine community loves seeing the “college of our hearts, always” receive national praise. Users of X were particularly excited to see it named one of the “best and most interesting” four-year higher education institutions in America in the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2024. Our post about it garnered 16,211 views.
The publication, authored by former New York Times education editor Edward Fiske and updated annually for 40 years, spotlights more than 300 of its top schools in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Ireland, according to publisher Sourcebooks. In its profile of UMaine, the latest edition described it as offering “strong academic programs at a reasonable cost” and a cozy atmosphere with a “friendly, medium-sized student body and an emphasis on undergraduate learning.”
Thank you for all the love and support for UMaine on social media. Please continue to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok for more fun, exciting and informative content about the university community. We’re excited to see what 2024 brings, and are eager to share it all with you.
Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu