Is Social Media Ruining The College Experience?

Graphic by Ben DeAcetis

College has always been a notorious time to make stupid mistakes, meet new people and even find relationships (that may or may not last past spring break). However, has the rise in college-based social media accounts and platforms, as well as social media in general, affected the “raw” and “unfiltered” college experience that previous generations had?

Let's analyze the current culprits. First of all, everyone having a phone is already a detriment to your Friday night out. Anything silly you do could be captured on film and eternalized forever. 

But dwelling on cell phones is not going to help us, after all the photos and videos aren't the problem themselves. The main problem is the college-based social media platforms such as the UMN snap story, YikYak and any UMN barstool-like accounts on Instagram.

Have a messy night and you might end up there for people to giggle at on Monday morning. The question is then, does the fear of looking stupid online in front of your peers limit what you do in college? 

After speaking to several people about the matter, the conclusion is…”No not really.” Factoring in alcohol-induced confidence makes this hypothesis incorrect.

The other side of this coin then argues that social media and university-related accounts actually make college better than before. The majority of the clubs here at the university are accessible through Instagram, so are subleases, funny dating stories and even a variety of tickets.

After observing several club accounts it became clear that the majority of their club attendees discover the events/club through Instagram or Snapchat. 

So while there is not a huge concern about being posted on a night out there is an appreciation for club discoveries. The last effect of social media on the college experience is meeting people. 

Finding your “group” can be difficult and not everyone does. I have found that the majority of people find themselves lacking the usual social skills due to constant phone usage. Everyone wants to get out of it and meet people organically whether it be friends or a partner, but few are willing to take that step out there.

But this shouldn’t be a reason to ignore that college-based social media accounts can’t connect people because they can. Just maybe not as effectively as face-to-face conversation can. 

While social media usage and phones have changed the college experience, it has also created undeniable benefits that the previous generation doesn’t have. This evens out the anti-social epidemic that younger generations face. For example, without social media, how else would I know that the Sustainable Systems Management Club was serving grasshopper brownies on the St. Paul campus?

All in all, don’t stress too much about social media ruining our lives…at least not yet. Enjoy the benefits and take note of when you could be making in-person conversations instead.