Influencing, influencers and the social "hierarchy" of university: Defining the BNOC
"What made you decide you wanted to be a BNOC?"
"How do you have so many Instagram followers?"
"How do you literally know everyone?"
Three questions I have been asked more than once but I never really know how to answer or if the people asking the questions are actually prepared for the answer.
My name is Nairn King (it's not actually but
most of you have believed this for two years and I'll continue to fool you for another two hopefully) and I am what is typically now referred to as a BNOC or a student influencer or whatever the next term the agencies I've worked for decide to come up with for students who have entered the strange world of "university popularity".
most of you have believed this for two years and I'll continue to fool you for another two hopefully) and I am what is typically now referred to as a BNOC or a student influencer or whatever the next term the agencies I've worked for decide to come up with for students who have entered the strange world of "university popularity".
The reasons people don't care is because popularity at university is not a hierarchy, all it is is a select group of individuals who most likely have no connection to eachother, who barely cross social circles, who just so happen to be well known, well-liked and stand out among their peers.
In this series of blog posts I will discuss what it means to be a BNOC, how I became one and the realities of campus "fame".
In this series of blog posts I will discuss what it means to be a BNOC, how I became one and the realities of campus "fame".
If you didn't know already BNOC stands for "Big Name on Campus" which essentially means a student who is well known at their university. Not exactly "famous" but they warrant enough attention for people to pay some form of attention to them.
I doubt anyone decides they want to be a BNOC I certainly didn't. I wasn't even aware of the term until earlier this year. Lets be real it's not a career and employers will not care if you were popular at university or not.
However, it's not random either. Not everyone can become a BNOC and it requires a variety of circumstances to fall into place and a touch of luck to even get close.
Being involved in sports helps for example but not every athlete at my university has achieved BNOC status and I could name just as many BNOC's who aren't involved in sports as to who are.
Some people aren't actually aware of their status as a BNOC either which really poses the question how do you identify a BNOC?
Well the rules aren't clear mainly due to the concept being fairly recent however here are a few commonalities that are often found in BNOCS.
However, it's not random either. Not everyone can become a BNOC and it requires a variety of circumstances to fall into place and a touch of luck to even get close.
Being involved in sports helps for example but not every athlete at my university has achieved BNOC status and I could name just as many BNOC's who aren't involved in sports as to who are.
Some people aren't actually aware of their status as a BNOC either which really poses the question how do you identify a BNOC?
Well the rules aren't clear mainly due to the concept being fairly recent however here are a few commonalities that are often found in BNOCS.
1.) Out, out and out again
Being a BNOC requires a lot of what I like to call "social responsibility". It takes the type of person who doesn't say no. Most BNOC's especially in their freshers days would be among those that attended every night out despite the 9am lecture the next day. The type of people that attended every halls party and then continue to have their weekends packed with parties for the year after. At the end of the day you can't be a big name on campus if you aren't active on campus. Therefore most BNOC's probably spend more time on nights out than attending actual university. A dangerous recipe for social success.
2.) Social Media Etiquette
Decent followings online are also a commonality among BNOC's. By a decent following I would say most BNOC's have a range of 800-5000 Instagram followers. However having followers is not the be all and end all. Social Media etiquette is also an important factor. To simple put it BNOC's post just enough content that people want to see at the right times. They aren't those that post two Instagram photos in a day, they know the rules and they play by them.
3.) Club Rep Wars
They have the chat, they spent their entire freshers year exploring the clubbing scene, what's next? Well another commonality is that BNOC's often find their student jobs in the nightlife scene. It's the perfect recipe where as they grow older they are still present in the student scene but aren't suffering with the consequences of the hangovers afterwards. During my training as a Jagermeister representative two thirds of the team had previously worked in a nightclub whether that be bar, PR or ticket selling. It's a common one, especially PR where the main requirement of the job is excellent social skills something that all BNOC's have.
4.) Brands, Banter and Boss Babes
You ever post a picture on Instagram and get a random fashion brand you have never heard of comment something along the lines of "Your Instagram is stunning hun! Shoot us a DM we would love to collaborate with you xx"?. These "collaborations" most of the time require you to actually buy one of their products with a discount code that you then try to pawn off to the rest of your followers. However it displays that your Instagram has garnered at least some form of attention. Another commonality among BNOC's is the fact that often at times they are collaborating with real brands. Fueled by the growing popularity of student marketing companies more and more influential students are being given brand deals. Whether its Tinder, Sailor Jerry or even Amazon Prime it really can be "the coolest job on campus" like they advertise.
5.) Brains, Brawn and Beauty
Their smart, their strong and their good looking but is it the perfect recipe for university popularity? Well no but it's certainly advantageous and I believe most BNOC's have this commonality.
By brains I refer to the fact that balancing a heavy social life, university, a job, relationships and extra-curricular activities requires great organisational skills and time management. We can all probably name a party animal from our halls experience who seemed to know everyone but dropped out into irrelevancy after not making it to their second year. BNOC's avoid this fate by being organised enough to have a great social life but also get the grades at the same time.
Moving onto brawn while previously stated that being part of a sports team is not a requirement I would say it certainly boosts chances. Being part of a sports team often means you connect with other year groups and people who may not study the same degree as you. The fortnightly socials also help with student to student networking especially when your no longer a fresher and can't afford to be hungover for most of the week.
Beauty is controversial. Mainly because many expect beauty to mean being traditionally good looking. Which in BNOC circumstances certainly doesn't. I for one do not fall into a traditionally good looking crowd. However BNOC's often possess inner and/or outer beauty. BNOC's need to be likeable to a certain extent and its the ability to socialize and get others to like you which is important. If you are traditionally beautiful that's great too but in reality a commonality of BNOC's is that they are genuinely nice people who ended up receiving a meaningless title because they like to go out, sometimes play sports and know how to work Instagram.
Well now that you know what a BNOC is and how to possibly identify one.
Stay tuned for my next blog where I will delve more into my experience as a BNOC and where I learned much of the social skills I have today.
May the odds of campus fame be ever in your favor.
Nairn King.
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