Socially Distant Dating : A Guide to Trinity’s Crush Confession Pages

Which anonymous Instagram accounts are worth following?

A sudden romance frenzy has gripped the student body while in lockdown. We are almost spoiled for choice when it comes to romance confession pages in Trinity, but with more options, it can be hard to know which one is worth your time. How long do you have to wait for your declaration of love to be posted? How can you guarantee that your crush will spot your post? Simply, what page is best? I’ve conducted some research and managed to grab admins of these accounts for exclusive interviews and so, here’s your comprehensive guide to Trinity’s anonymous romantic confession pages.

The Old Reliable – Trinder

Admit it, you were a bit shocked when Trinder popped up on your Instagram feed. It’s like seeing an engineer in the Berkeley. Most students assumed that Trinder had called it a day last June, and in a way, it did. The admin behind the new Instagram Trinder has no affiliation with the previous Facebook page, but hopes to promote the same message. When asked what was the reason for the page being set up,  the admin smiled and said: “To make people’s lockdown a bit easier”. 

With such a large following and high engagement rates, if you shoot your shot here, it’s very likely that special someone will see it. However, the admin of Trinder does acknowledge the long waiting time but promises that adjustments will be made to its automated system, allowing for more love, more posts and less of a backlog.  Trinder hopes to become a safer platform for all, with set guidelines and rules for confessions to prevent harassment. They’re also hoping to expand their reach further, noting how they’ve already collaborated with DU LawSoc for a Valentine’s Day event. With such positivity behind the page, it’s no surprise that Trinder is the solid favourite for Trinity students.

If you want to make someone’s day, send in a Trinder and wait for it to be (eventually) released. The admin however does outline that if it’s a special occasion or extremely important, your Trinder can be moved up the queue. So what are you waiting for? Check out @trindertcd on Instagram now.

The more specific Trinder – Halls Trinder

You can pretty much fill in the blanks as to who this page is for, but I’m going to explain it anyways. The Halls Trinder account caters to those isolated in Dartry and hoping to find “romance, flings or even friendship”, according to its admins. The account was created in response to the (infamous) Halls Confessions page which has come under fire in recent weeks. The admins of this Halls service however want to create a better atmosphere where “students still have a voice but cannot explicitly bully other people”.

When asked why Halls needed its own Trinder, one of the admins put it plainly: “Trinity is full of romantics. This page, it’s a place for us to feel more excited about our day to day lives.” Certainly, if you’re a first year looking to catch another first year’s eye, bop over to @Halls_Trinder to confess your feelings.

The one that doesn’t do what it says on the tin – Tringle

Tringle features in this dating guide, but it certainly doesn’t consider itself to be a romance-oriented confessions page. When asked why it posts Trinder-style declarations of love, the admin alludes that this is only the starting point for Tringle. Instead of a rival to Trinder, it aims to be an “entertainment page for all students”. The admin behind it is seeking to create a new interactive platform for students to engage with, mentioning possible future content like “games, polls and quizzes”.

It’s an interesting project, one to certainly keep an eye on but it doesn’t guarantee romantic success. If you’re looking for a laugh or two, or some fresh and engaging questionnaires or polls, check out @tcdtringles on Instagram.

The “Trinners for Winners” account – DU Dates

The Instagram bio of this account reads “Fancy a Trinity student? TCD’s first matchmaking platform, real dates from the most elite pool of students in Ireland”.

There’s a phrase that is causing concern amongst some students – no it’s not the fancying a Trinity student part, despite what other colleges are saying on Twitter – the use of “elite” seems out of place. The defensiveness of the account around this word is also causing alarm with the account claiming that some students need to “understand sarcasm” and that the page as a whole is “a pisstake” and “satirical”. 

The sense that Trinity students are “elite” leads me to ask several questions: why are they elite? Is this a reference to specific students who come from certain backgrounds? Is this taken into consideration when matching students to potential partners? It’s almost reminiscent of the “pure-blood” status in Harry Potter.

Classism is a problem within Trinity that is too often swept under the rug. Seeing the use of “elite” so casually is reminiscent of the all too sickening phrase “Trinners for Winners”, something I wish had died out years ago. Watching what happens next with this account certainly will be interesting but to quote a reaction to the account: “you can tell this will end in tears”.

Eva O'Beirne

Eva O'Beirne is the Social Media and Management Editor of Trinity News and a Senior Sophister History Student. She has previously served as the Deputy Life Editor and Sex and Relationships Editor.