From “Get Ready With Me’s” to gameday fit checks to study vlogs, there’s no end to the amount of college content on social media.
Especially with going to college in Los Angeles, it’s not rare for me to be scrolling on my TikTok For You Page and see videos from people I’ve seen walking around campus. With creators such as Alix Earle being able to rise to fame and build a whole brand off of authentic videos filmed in college dorm rooms, it seems like everyone is jumping on the college influencer train. In the constantly documented digital age we live in, it’s no surprise, but is this new college influencer culture found on nearly every campus actually a good thing?
College Decisions
For me, college influencers were vital when it came to college application season. College visits are expensive, and as someone who applied to a variety of in-state and out of state schools, my family didn’t have the time or money to tour every campus I applied to. Being able to view different campuses through real students with unbiased and real perspectives helped me learn the pros and cons of each college and provided helpful information all without having to leave my house.
From club applications to class recommendations to internship information, college influencers served as a sense of comfort and relief during a major transitional period in my life and have helped many students help the perfect college for them.
Campus reality
Growing up with TV shows, books, and adults reminiscing about how college was the “best time of their lives” it’s pretty easy to go into college with an idealized view of how the next four years should look like. Social media reinforces this through everyone posting only the highlights of their college experiences such as hanging out with friends, going out, and celebrating new and exciting career opportunities.
However, plenty of influencers portray both the realistic highs and lows of college life. From failing tests to being overwhelmed to being homesick and lonely, many influencers use their platforms to show that college isn’t always perfect. This candidness has helped a lot of students by showing that they aren’t alone in their experiences and that no one has a “perfect” experience.
I’ve also learned a lot about college downsides specific to my college. College websites didn’t inform me that sometimes I would have to wait thirty minutes in line for food or that class enrollment genuinely feels like the Hunger Games here, but several UCLA influencers that I watched before arriving here prepared me for some of the not so perfect realities that I would have to deal with while attending my dream school.
In an age where everyone only posts the good parts of their lives on their social media, seeing transparency from college lifestyle influencers that college life isn’t solely having a good time is simply refreshing and so important for many students to hear.
Filming worries
The flip side of college influencers is the constant filming that comes with a social media job. Constant documentation from a large number of college influencers on campus, especially at a school in Los Angeles, means that you might end up in someone’s video. Already I’ve found myself in the background of several TikToks already and sometimes the last thing you want to see is footage of yourself dancing at a party or walking to class online.
With new technology such as Meta glasses and a rise in live-streaming the risk of being caught unaware and recorded without consent is growing and raises concerns about safety and privacy of other students.
Comparison is the thief of joy
Even though some influencers accurately document their experiences, others aren’t and this can lead to comparison and feelings of inadequacies among viewers. Seeing someone wake up extra early, hit the gym, go to lecture, finish several assignments, work on an internship, have a perfect social life, still manage to get a solid eight hours of sleep, and look perfect the next morning just isn’t realistic. Yet I still find myself comparing myself to these influencers and wondering if I’m not doing enough and falling behind.
I don’t think it’s entirely the fault of these influencers, social media is inherently competitive by design and regardless of social media humans will always compare themselves to others. However, constantly seeing unrealistic standards and successful achievements that can’t be achieved by the average person by your own peers can be very damaging to one’s self esteem.
Regardless if you think college influencers are a gift or a curse to this generation of students, they aren’t going away anytime soon. With countless influencer success stories and the relative easiness of being able to post online, more and more people will continue to post about their college experience in the hopes of gaining a following. These creators have undeniably changed campus culture with both providing information and opportunities as well as creating new worries and insecurities among students. But as this new digital age continues, it’s important to remember that most things online are carefully curated. Living your own college experience is more important than the content that can be produced from it.