ThelifeInstagram accounts that match people's names to pictures of animals or other images have exploded in popularity over the past week.- Some of the accounts have racked up thousands of followers in a relatively short period of time, taking personalized requests to make images attaching people's names to frogs, dogs, and more.
- The accounts provide personalized content that's fun to look at, even if your own name isn't involved.
A new type of Instagram account has popped up to replace the personalized keychains, pens, or paperweights that you may have fawned over at gift shops as a child. In a wholesome turn, numerous accounts have racked up hundreds of thousands of followers by offering a simple service: matching a frog, cow, dog, or other animals and
The trend, which has taken off over the course of the past week on Instagram, continues to grow, with new accounts popping up on a regular basis. A representative from Instagram told Insider that the platform has seen explosive growth from the accounts: one of the most popular, @what_frog_you_are, has amassed over 180,000 followers only five days after its launch on July 9.
While this seems to be the first time personalization-based accounts have come into the spotlight in such a visible way, the method behind request-based accounts aren't new, although previous iterations have focused more around fictional characters than real names. Twitter accounts like @RIPYourFave create images of gravestones with fictional characters by request; accounts like @faveisbisexual (which doesn't appear to have been active since 2018) superimpose characters on top of the bisexual pride flag.
—your fave is bisexual (@faveisbisexual) August 3, 2018
"What ___ are you?" accounts have been taking off on Instagram over the past week
Accounts like @whatdogareyou (which appears to have first posted on July 9) or @what_cow_you_are (which appears to have first posted on July 10) have crossed the 100,000 follower mark, but the trend itself is broad: now, you can see what cursed image you are, what food you are (and what snack you are), what Harry Styles you are, and even what sandwich you are. That's only a small sampling of the accounts that have popped up across the platform, and at this point, brands like Delta have started to get in on the fun as well.
16-year-old Mia runs @what_dog_you_are, an account that matches people's names to dog pictures. She told Insider that she decided to start the account on July 6 after using an Instagram "Which dog are you" filter that helped inspire her.
Now, just over a week since starting the account, it's amassed over 18,000 followers. Mia told Insider that at one point, she saw her following double from 3,000 to 6,000 followers overnight.
"I think people love having their names on things. It makes an object that much more personal," Mia said. "When I was young, I loved looking for my name on keychains and souvenirs. I compared the colors on the keychain to my own favorite colors and when they matched I was overjoyed."
"The same thing happens with dogs," she continued. "When a picture of a dog has similar expressions to ones that people experience, they get a certain feeling of belonging."
Aside from the simple joy of seeing your name attached to a funky dog pic, some of the more off-the-wall accounts are taking off for related reasons. @what_frog_are_you's massive following builds off a trend of online interest in frog content, which has been booming across social media platforms like Tumblr, Reddit, and Instagram. Scrolling through any of the accounts, whether you're looking for your own name or not, is a rewarding experience. It's fun to look at memes, or cute animal pictures, or cursed images that are known simply for being weird, disturbing, or low-quality.
Maintaining these accounts can be time-consuming, but some are leveraging their audience for good
Mia said that she spends around three hours a day on @what_dog_you_are, during which time she looks for images, responds to messages (she says she receives hundreds of requests each day), edits names, and posts. In terms of matching names to the perfect dog, Mia says that she has a list of names and picks the dog that "speaks out the most," a factor that's influenced by if names are linked to people she knows, or familiar fictional characters.
Still, keeping things organized is difficult. @what_dog_you_are features story highlights that collect posts of names that begin with certain letters, making it easier for people to find posts with their name. Other accounts, like @what_frog_you_are, have posted public spreadsheets so that people can find links to posts with their name as well as see which names are in the queue so as to minimize overlapping requests.
Some of the accounts are leveraging their popularity to raise money for charity groups, prioritizing requests by donation. Mia, who's based out of Toronto, told Insider that she's raising money for Black Lives Matter Canada and plans to make a donation once she's raised $200, saying that she'll post screenshots of the donation on her Instagram story once its been made. One account, @what_image_are_you, says in its bio that all donations go to For The Gworls, The Okra Project, G.L.I.T.S., and Children of the Night, and has regularly been posting donation receipts to its Instagram story.
Mia told Insider that she hopes to keep @what_dog_you_are running throughout the summer and possibly longer, although she hopes that it won't interfere with her studies in September. "I love managing this account, especially when people with uncommon names find their names on a dog," Mia said.
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