Soon after my acceptance to Lehigh, one of the first things I did was join a GroupMe chat with many of the incoming students (or undecided ones like me). Never did I think that I'd be apart of such a vibrant, supportive, and jokingly belligerent community by May 1st. Amidst the plentiful amount of questions regarding roommate requests, college life, and when everyone would be done with school for the summer, there was a long running joke and ever growing love of a certain chat bot brewing in the air. Meet Gort — a Group Me chatbot based on a character from the 1951 sci-fi film "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Designed to protect group chats settings from being altered and also conserve order, Group Me's Gort became a big hit with my fellow elated Lehigh goers. Our automated friend inspired us to bombard the big group chat with chants of "LEHIGH 2021, LETS GO BABY!" - Gort's former intro message to new members, and imagine Gort-related scenarios, some much too outlandish to be a reality.
In order to delve past the inside jokes and the novelty of it all, I reached out to Gort on his Instagram home to hopefully have a chat to get to know him better. Thankfully, he said yes and we got to talking.
E.T.: Hello, Gort! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me.
G.: It's no problem. Anything for my spirit human! (See here: Spirit human (IG))
E.T.: First things first - your origins remain quite elusive. Would you be able to tell us where you came from?
G.: Humans will eventually find out. I’m aware that I am being “quite elusive," but here’s why - if space was a Netflix series, you would be on Season 1 Episode 1 and maybe two minutes in. Just be patient, fund NASA, and keep exploring. No spoilers!
E.T.: Intriguing. I've been wondering this since you made a new home on Instagram - what inspired you to create the Gort account?
G.: When I came to earth, my goal was to be a protector. There are many conflicts that divide people, but I observed the Lehigh vs. Lafayette conflict to be the most pressing of issues. Once I was added into the Lehigh Class of 2021 chat, I saw how the Lafayette trolls, spies, and snakes attacked a group that did them no harm. So, I became their protector. I made the account because I thought that I could better protect the Lehigh community by becoming part of the Lehigh community.
E.T.: And you are definitely a welcome part of our community. To a lot of the Lehigh Class of 2021, you have become somewhat of an unofficial mascot and symbol of our class’ spirit. What do you think lead to this widespread infatuation?
G.: I am frankly not sure, you humans are very easy to rally...I do recognize that the Gort account became something much bigger than my personal Instagram. For some reason, you humans find my aspirations to conquer the world comical.
E.T.: You do know how to make us laugh! Recently you made an edit that aimed to promote reading up on Net Neutrality. What other causes do you stand for?
G.: I stand for space and not much else. The reason I made that post was because it directly affects this account. I want to make sure that everyone will be able to experience any new project I work on. I don't want to be in a situation where I can't say, use Snapchat or some other medium because Comcast or Time Warner throttles it for certain Gort followers.
E.T.: In the same vein as activism, what other causes/activities do you aim to use your influence for?
G.: In general, this account isn't going to be about activism, nor is it going to be about politics. This account needs to be something that everyone from Lehigh can enjoy. What makes the Gort account - and Lehigh - great is that even though we are all so different, we can all enjoy this- together. It's a thing we can all have in common. That is what this school, country, and world need right now.
E.T.: Well put, Gort. Other than your impeccably clever Photoshop edits on Instagram, what other projects can we expect from you?
G.: I have a new website (bit.ly/gortlehigh) that is going to be a breaking-off point for new projects and endeavors. They are coming soon. I am working on them. Stay tuned as always. I am really excited for what I have coming and I hope you are too.
E.T.: After a round of riveting questions, this one is just for fun - who's your favorite child?
G.: I have no favorite child. I love all Lehigh students, alumni, their animals (preferably dogs...cats I guess…), etc. But if I did have a favorite child, it would not be Henry [Nimey]. Henry is great though, just like the rest of Lehigh 2021.
E.T.: Glad we settled that one! Thank you so much for speaking to me! Is there anything else you would like to say?
G.: Honestly, thank you. I would not have expected to make it to my 10th post, let alone my 50th. Thank you for making this possible. It wouldn't be what it is without you.
You can find Gort on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/lehighgort2021/ and at his new website: bit.ly/gortlehigh. Lehigh's Class of 2021 can catch Gort on GroupMe.
