There’s no doubt that Gen Z has interacted the most with social media and reaped the benefits of a more connected world than any other generation. Especially on a college campus, receiving information is far more convenient when it’s displayed in a visually appealing format that’s only a few taps away. Across all social media platforms, there are over 4.55 billion active social media users, and the average time spent on these platforms has surpassed 2 and a half hours per day just in the last year. For Instagram specifically, according to Statistical, there are 1.3 billion monthly active users and about 90% of all users follow a business profile. The impact that this platform has on its users is absolutely profound and it leaves us with a daunting question: “Will we all need Instagram followers to be competitive in the job market?”
The simple answer to this question is that participating in social media is still a personal choice. However, for jobs that center around marketing, PR, digital design or anything similar, it would definitely be beneficial to understand the social media landscape when applying for internships or job positions. While Instagram might be a fun way to kill time while waiting for class to start, the potential for consumer engagement that companies have access to makes it an essential tool for any business. There’s no doubt that, for corporations, there will definitely be a need to establish a credible following on social media platforms for the foreseeable future in order to effectively reach their targeted audience.
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On the individual level, downloading Instagram as a college student almost feels like an obvious necessity. Regardless, as information about the impact that social media has on our mental health becomes more prevalent, there is a need to reflect on our current relationship with these gigantic corporations. As we all look to the future of marketing, engaging with the news and staying in contact with those around us, I believe it is essential to find our “why” behind our usage of these apps. Even if using Instagram can literally be just for fun and for posting cute pictures, I think that there is some merit in thinking about how Instagram will be used in the future. As the next generation of employees and business owners, considering digital social influence as an asset to our list of qualifications for a job may gain even more prominence in the future.
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With all that to say, there is some substantial evidence pointing to the fact that engaging with Instagram and other social media platforms may be an important fact considered in the workforce. While your prospective occupation is most indicative of this (we probably won’t reach a point where cardiovascular surgeons have to worry about their Instagram followers), working within a business, in general, will require an understanding of something that the majority of our culture is involved in. Although I don’t believe that social media influence will ever become something a company can require you to reveal, it seems to be an important enough factor for them to consider even now.