Do any of these quotes sound familiar to you?
“Make as many friends as possible and use this chance to reinvent yourself; you get a fresh start after leaving your hometown.”
“You don’t have to change who you are. You just need a couple of good friends over a bunch of acquaintances.”
“NEVER take an 8 a.m. class. You’ll be so tired later on!”
“ Take all your classes in the morning, you’ll have the rest of the day off!”
“Stay on campus as much as possible! You only get to access their resources for four years!”
“Only stay on campus for class, go out and explore your campus town!”
“Study every day, your good grades will pave the way for better job opportunities in the future!”
“Good grades aren’t everything. Experience is the best teacher. C’s get degrees!”
None of these quotes can be traced to a direct person yet are examples of the plethora of tips offered on social media from different influencers who have attended or are attending higher education. This “advice” can do more harm than good, leading to information overload. In a time when the average citizen has access to more information than ever before, it isn’t always helpful or applicable to their lives. College students are especially susceptible to this as we’re on our own for the very first time and learning ideas from new people by living on campus and seeing them in and out of the classroom every day.
Students attending Pace are no strangers to these feelings. A recent survey was conducted among students who were asked how they felt about these “college influencers” painting pictures of their “perfect” days; how they managed to do so much or so little, and how it was affecting their mental health. There were 110 respondents in total. Of the respondents, 106 use social media, while a mere 4 don’t. Here is what the results have to say.
*Some questions of the survey remained unanswered; incomplete data will be denoted. All of the demographic questions (i.e. gender, grade, were answered).
For a more complete view of the data collected, view here.
Firstly, there has to be consideration for how much time people spend on social media. The longer you are to spend, the more likely you’ll feel worse about yourself and envy others. Out of the 91 respondents for “How much time do you spend on social media (on average, per day)?” 50, or 55%, stated: “4-5 hours, but often for just messaging people.” Only one chose the most extreme option, “What is sleep?” and five chose “one to two hours.”
However, the most extreme respondents stated they were comfortable with themselves (not having Impostor Syndrome) and not struggling with mental health problems that much. There could be other factors at play. Regardless, some who chose only “4-5 hours but OFTEN for messaging people” could struggle with impostor syndrome “all the time” as one respondent stated. Perhaps seeing others without scrolling too long could make your self-esteem vanish in a short amount of time.
Most students who answered this survey, while they reported seeing college influencers, did not follow any of these accounts. Out of the 89 responses to this question, 52 (58%) said that these videos come up on their feeds without them actively searching for them. Even if students aren’t interested, algorithms continually push this content on them because of their viewing habits and demographics. Becoming trapped in a social media loop can be detrimental to college students’ mental and emotional health of college students, especially when they don’t subscribe to the content being fed to them.
Without a doubt, choosing what school you go to, or if you pursue higher education at all, is one of the most important decisions made in one’s life. The question “How does college content impact student’s decisions?” showed 86% of respondents didn’t use their social media feeds to influence what school they went to. While 13% used it a little bit, only 1% completely based their decision on online sources. These decisions may not correlate to feelings students have once they arrive on campus, for responses regarding students’ feelings at Pace were more diverse.
27 of the 86 respondents to the question “Does seeing people document their lives on social media hinder your enjoyment of being at Pace University, whether they go to school there or not?” said that they were completely happy with Pace and their decision. However, this answer wasn’t the most common one. Overall, 52% (44 replies) had some doubts regarding their decisions and went back and forth between making the right choice and wanting something different. In the extreme, five responders wanted to outright leave Pace, and ten were tempted.
These findings show that while the decision on what college to go to may be easy for some, their feelings may change once they get there. In an age where almost everything, the good and the bad, is posted online, using social media and others’ experiences to make important decisions isn’t a bad thing. However, making sure these sources are credible is crucial, and decisions should ultimately reflect the best interests of the student. The importance of visiting campuses and doing personal research should not be understated.
Ultimately, the survey was a revealing look at Pace students’ feelings regarding how they’re influenced by what they see online (if they do have a social media account) regarding people who are currently their age or who were once in their position. It also reminds us how these aspects of social media can be present in real life.
Regardless, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the answer if you’re struggling with any feelings of doubt, insecurity, or comparing yourself to others. Take it from David Allen who said, “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” This quote summarizes our lives and every(any)thing we put our minds to. From two Pace Chronicle students to everyone reading this, be grateful for what you have and have accomplished.