Most UNC students don’t stop to admire their walk to class.
They’ve done it too many times. They know the paths, the buildings and the crowds by heart. But on UNC Greg’s TikTok, @gregory.unc, those same ordinary moments become something else: cinematic snapshots of a college experience that students may not realize they’re living until they see it through someone else’s lens.
UNC Greg is modeled after the original @gregory.nyc account on TikTok — whose creator is actually named Greg. Much like the New York City account’s scenes of the city, UNC Greg films different corners of UNC’s campus and pairs them with Taylor Swift songs.
The videos capture everything from familiar walkways to everyday scenes around campus, inviting viewers to admire places they may normally pass without a second thought — from a dimly lit Wilson Library staircase to a tree-shrouded view of the Bell Tower.
Since @gregory.unc posted their first video on Aug. 31, another UNC Greg account has popped up under the username @uncchgreg. North Carolina State University also has their own, which first started posting on Aug. 26., and just days ago, a Duke Greg account popped up.
UNC sophomore Olivia Ritchie said the videos allow students to connect not only with familiar scenery, but also with the emotions behind Swift’s lyrics.
“I think it’s kind of being able to associate certain places with certain emotions based on how you perceive her songs,” Ritchie said. “A lot of her songs are emotional, and I think that everyone can kind of apply it to a personal moment in their life.”
For some, that connection can make familiar places feel different. After seeing a @gregory.unc video to “Death By A Thousand Cuts,” Ritchie said she began thinking about the memories attached to routes she and her friends walk every day, and realized these spaces held more emotion than she had realized.
For others, the videos are also a reminder to appreciate the UNC experience. Palmer Foster, a sophomore, said that shift in perspective is what makes the videos resonate.
“I think it’s more about just this idea of how everything can get so mundane and boring when you see it all the time,” Foster said. “But then I think when you take yourself out of that space and add in, like, a sentimental song or something like that, then I think it makes this place seem more special.”
The creator of UNC Greg, who would only speak to The Daily Tar Heel if their identity was protected, said the account was inspired by NYC Greg’s ability to make ordinary moments engaging.
“He doesn’t always go to a lot of the very, like, flashy spots. Like he’s, every once in a while, at the Statue of Liberty, but he really takes very simple things and makes it into videos, but yet people still really connect with them, and I feel like it’s very similar for what I’ve made so far.” the creator said.
The creator said they hope UNC Greg can do the same at Chapel Hill. They also said UNC’s fast-paced environment can make students so engrossed in what comes next that they rush through the present, overlooking the smaller moments happening around them.
For the creator, UNC Greg is ultimately about pausing long enough to recognize those moments.
“I hope that people take the busyness of campus and look at how motivated and driven people are on campus, and also look at the stillness of the video as a moment of like pausing that and taking it all in, because UNC is such a special place to be in,” the creator said.
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