In today’s digital age, where every comment, photo, and post leaves a lasting mark, college students have a unique opportunity to shape their digital image. As the first generation with such widespread social media access, we need to understand the significance of our online presence. Social media can have a long-lasting impact on how others perceive us, and it’s important to be mindful of how it can influence our professional lives.
Whether your primary platform is Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, or Linkedin, each platform helps shape your online image. Although most college students use social media as a hobby, the image you present of yourself online can be perceived by anyone. This raises the question of which is more important: the way you are perceived by family, friends, employers, or colleagues? Most college students want to present themselves differently to their friends than they do to their boss. People strive to maintain different perceptions and portrayals of themselves in different contexts. As experienced and knowledgeable students may be in their chosen career field, one thoughtless social media post that is targeted toward the wrong audience can risk it all.
If your college admission officer was to find your social media page, would you be embarrassed? What about your scholarship committees? Perhaps even your boss? If so, it may be time to reconsider what you choose to put out on the internet. Despite having a private account, a low following, or a disguised profile, everything we put on the internet lasts forever and effectively publishes our actions or opinions. So, are you willing to risk a potential career for a specific perception? While not every decision-maker may actively check your social media, you can’t control what they come across. There are many examples throughout history of thoughtless social media posts jeopardizing people’s goals, careers, and schooling. In 2017, Harvard University rescinded admissions offers to a group of students after discovering offensive memes they had shared in a private Facebook group. In 2019, a high school student in Florida lost her cheerleading scholarship to a university after a racist video she had posted on social media was uncovered. In 2020, an NFL football player was released from his team after making offensive comments on social media. Although these are the more extreme examples, they showcase the power social media has on an individual’s image and the possible consequences.
While maintaining a moderately professional digital footprint is crucial for students entering the professional world, it’s important to highlight the positive aspects of social media for college students. Making friends, discovering college opportunities, and staying up to date with your university news are wonderful benefits of this social media era. Social media is the primary way to learn more about the clubs and opportunities on your campus. Along with social media being used as an informative and marketing tool for students, it can also be used as a decision factor. Students often make their roommate decisions based on the perception they receive from their social media accounts. Our social media accounts are a window to our lives, allowing others to make perceptions about our interests, activities, and personalities. It is up to you to decide how big you want that window to be.