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18th January 2013

SPOTTED shuts down amid complaints and library pressure

Popular Facebook page pointing out attractive students in the library taken down following concerns of student welfare
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TLDR

The Facebook page ‘Spotted: University of Manchester Library’ has shut down following pressure from Library staff.

The page began as a way of people anonymously identifying attractive men and women in the library and went viral within days, attracting almost 10,000 likes in its first week.

Spotted posted anonymous messages sent in by admirers who picked out students they fancied in the library, but it soon expanded into topics relating to stolen chairs and loud talkers.

But light-hearted posts on hidden chocolate and the library’s lack of plug sockets were at times overshadowed by darker subject matters, such as fantasies of girls being “spit roasted” and insults about students’ hairlines and clothes.

The University of Manchester Library got involved when pictures of students sleeping were uploaded without them knowing.

A spokesperson for the library told The Mancunion,

“We contacted the page owners and reminded them that they cannot use photographs taken without the subject’s permission.”

They labeled some content offensive, and say they acted upon complaints from students who said “they felt uncomfortable using the Library because of this site.”

However, the University insist no threats of action were made against the owners of the page. Though the owner is currently unknown, the founder of the original Spotted, Richard Martell, is a first year UCL student and is known to have set up others up and down the country.

Mr Martell told The Guardian he became inspired when he an his friends began texting each other whenever they saw an attractive girl in the library.

He insists the pages are a joke rather than a career path though, as he has a job lined up in the city when he graduates.

Reaction to the closure has been mixed. one third year student was critical of the page and its owner, saying on Facebook,

“It was awful. It created such a cliquey social group online and the way power goes to people’s head when anonymous sad ridiculous.”

But many are disappointed that they must now find a new form of procrastination over the exam period.

Language, Literacy and Communications student Dalinder Sall complained on Twitter,

“I am upset the Spotted: UoM library facebook page has gone. Can we all have a minutes silence to mourn please thank you.”

Disgruntled students may be comforted in the knowledge that the notorious Hottie In The Library starting up again this semester.

Richard Crook

Richard Crook

Editor-in-chief at The Mancunion. E-mail me at [email protected].

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