A Cambridge University access initiative has been forced to change its name after it was found to be directing Twitter users towards pornography.
The Twitter hashtag #CamTweet was supposed to be used by Cambridge students to give an insight into life at Cambridge, and was inspired by Oxford’s #OxTweet project. However, many tweets using the #CamTweet hashtag were in fact advertising live pornographic webcam shows performed by ‘cam girls’.
On discovering this, two days after the project’s launch, Cambridge quickly changed the access hashtag to #CambTweet. Helena Blair, Cambridge University Student’s Union (CUSU)’s Access & Funding Officer, claimed that “when the #CamTweet project started, the hashtag was not being used to share pornographic images – if you were to look back far enough you would see that the webcam accounts started using it after our project’s launch. We did check the hashtag was suitable in advance”.
She did not anticipate any lasting damage from directing potential applicants towards pornography as well as Cambridge, adding “We believe little damage has been caused and it’s largely forgotten about – #CambTweet is gathering a strong following of prospective applicants and is receiving very good feedback. We’re excited to see it develop!”
She also confirmed the project’s debt to Oxford access, adding “We have received a lot of encouragement and support from #OxTweet and the two projects run effectively side by side.”
#OxTweet launched last year and has had a generally positive response. Students generally do not use their personal twitter accounts but ones set up for the purpose with handles like @OxHumanSci: they are sometimes but not always anonymous. Undergraduate Natasha Gillies, who runs the @MertonBiology account, praised the project, saying “When I first joined the #oxtweet initiative, I wasn’t really sure how far-reaching or useful it would really be. However, it’s been a year now since I started and it has really taken off.
“We often get retweets from schools around the country and it’s been a great platform to let people ask questions or just to give some idea of what an Oxford student’s day-to-day life is like, from Tesco runs to essay crises. During interviews we had a lot of positive comments on the accounts and quite a few Biology applicants said it had been really useful in their decisions to apply. I think people can often be sceptical of prospectuses and I feel they appreciate having this more personal insight into student life.
“The #CamTweet incident is a real shame, but it was just a silly mistake – although I recommend they do a little more research on their hashtags in future. I would hope it wouldn’t cause any lasting damage and most importantly it shouldn’t detract from what is a really positive 21st century tool for access. If nothing else, people are definitely talking about it now!”
James Blythe, OUSU’s Access & Academic Affairs Officer, said “I’m delighted that Cambridge has recognised once again that it can learn so much from Oxford by launching its own version of OxTweet, a fantastic and innovative access project that I was delighted to nominate for an OUSU Student Award. I’m sure all the great access initiatives had their embarrassing moments in the first few weeks: I personally wish our fenland friends all the best.”
Hertford College Access Officer Archie Jones told Cherwell, “Having a sensible and well-meaning project colonised by the forces of pornography is every access officer’s worst nightmare and will certainly be keeping me on my guard in the future. My every sympathy goes to the struggles of our Cambridge neighbours and I am confident that more good than harm will have been done by #CamTweet as was.”
A second year Cambridge student, who wished to remain anonymous, said “Cambridge access have done fantastic work to date and #CambTweet is one example but there is of course more to be done. Hopefully this is another impression that #CambTweet will dispel – that as well as being Old Etonians and geniuses Cambridge students also have to be willing to participate in sex work. Life at Cambridge is stimulating and varied, and, speaking for myself, involves neither as much work nor as much sex as people might think.”
