The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 — 15A

MISHAL CHARANIA
Summer Audience Engagement 
Managing Editor

“What’s your snap?”
At this point in the conversation, 
I have been talking to this stranger 
for maybe two minutes and said 
a maximum of three sentences. 
Especially on the first day of class, 
“what’s your snap” tends to be one 
of the first things you are asked 
about yourself. Where you sit on day 
one tends to be where you stay, and 
the person or people next to you are 
going to be your besties in that class 
for the rest of the semester. Even if 
you never see them again after your 
last final, you will probably stay on 
their snap or Instagram follow-
ing list, and maybe even in their 
LinkedIn connections, for who 
knows how long. Meeting as many 
people as possible in as many ways 
as possible is extremely important 
in college, but it can also lead you to 
question the college experience you 
personally are having. 
Coming out of the pandemic, 
meeting other incoming U-M stu-
dents started, for me, on Instagram 
with the @umich2025 page. It kept 

Designs by Serena Shen 

Audience Engagement

Remembering reality: social media in college

all of us updated on who would be 
in our classes, who our prospective 
roommate might be and who could 
be our potential new best friends. As 
soon as I read about someone who 
shared my interests in music, hob-
bies or even where we are from, I 
would send them a dm, or vice versa. 
Because of that page, as well as other 
UMich 2025 social media accounts, 
I made my first close friends here. 
For example, an Instagram friend 
and I visited a few Ann Arbor book-
stores because we discovered we 
both love to read. She and I contin-
ue to talk and meet up, all because 
of our first Instagram interac-
tions. However, this also meant 
that everyone was following liter-
ally everyone else, and once school 
started, my feed was cluttered with 
photos of new relationships, frat 
basements and night-outs in down-
town Ann Arbor among others. I 
was glad people were having fun, 
but the first days also came with 
mental breakdowns, stress and feel-
ings of self-consciousness that were 
not conveyed over social media. 
As someone who lived at home 
for my entire first year of college, 
comparing my experience to others 
was a constant. Although I do not 

regret the way I spent my first year, 
I was in a tangle watching others 
live out things I could not personally 
do. It got to the point where a month 
or two in, after seeing post after 
post of people having fun when I 
was miserable, I deleted Instagram 
off my phone and tried to focus on 
what I was doing. When I felt ready, 

I started unfollowing people that 
I had never talked to or had a con-
nection with, not only to declutter 
my feed but also my head. I immedi-
ately felt like a weight was lifted off 
of me, and in the coming weeks, I 
started appreciating my own expe-
rience more. Decluttering my feed 

re-energized me to focus on the 
experiences I truly wanted to have, 
not just the ones I saw. Reflecting on 
what you have and realizing what 
you want to see and feel on a daily 
basis will help you determine goals 
and ways to achieve them. 
On the other side of this, Linke-
dIn has become a place where 

opportunities abound and the pres-
sure is continuously applied. Linke-
dIn is the Instagram for showcasing 
“amazing” and “inspiring” careers. 
It is so great to see people from high 
school and college being promoted 
or receiving different job opportu-
nities but it also fosters competition 

From left, Maya Rodemer, Kate Liang, 
Gabriel Cortez, Caleb Green, and Reem Fawaz

#2
 
Best Public School of 
Public Health in the US

@umichsph

STARTS WITH YOU

A
 
HEALTHIER 
WORLD

In my experience, what is being 
shown is almost never the whole 
story. Being fake on social media is 
easy, but recognizing and 
enjoying reality is something that 
we should all aspire to.

and feelings of inadequacy. Because 
we are taught that the University 
hosts the Leaders and the Best even 
before we arrive, we might feel the 
need to come in with our own busi-
ness, three years of “relevant” work 
experience or at least a five-year 
plan. In reality, with every new 
post, there were probably 100 peo-
ple who did not get the opportunity. 
LinkedIn tends to be a place where 
only success is heralded, not show-
casing the reality of such a competi-
tive market. Post about your success 
because LinkedIn is used by future 
employers, but don’t compare what 
you do to the success of others. 
I will admit that I, and probably 
everyone, has fallen into the trap of 
toxic social media. All of my posts 
are extremely curated, particularly 
when it comes to school. I have yet 
to post a picture of myself having 
a mental breakdown, even though 
it feels like a quarter of the experi-
ence. I love showing pictures that 
make me happy, while trying to 
make it clear that this probably is 
not the whole picture. For me, every 
good photo comes with fifty “bad” 
ones. Defining what this looks like 
for you is never easy, but it can and 
should be done to have a healthy 

relationship with social media, as 
well as yourself. 
Social media is a double-edged 
sword. As college students, it is 
pretty hard to avoid it entirely. By 
recognizing how fake and toxic it 
can be, and by detaching yourself 
from what is being portrayed, you 
can better have the experience you 
truly want. Cherish your memories, 
and use social media the way that 
you want to. It is okay, and some-
times more than necessary, to take 
a break, whether it is from social 
media or in another area of your 
life. I am here to tell you that when 
someone asks you what you plan 
on doing this summer or if you are 
going to grad school, it is okay to 
laugh and say “Who knows.” Espe-
cially as a freshman, but even if you 
are a senior, take time to find things 
you like and figure out the things 
you don’t. I am proud of whatever 
you choose to do, and of course, I 
encourage you to push yourself in 
areas where you feel ready to do 
so. In my experience, what is being 
shown is almost never the whole 
story. Being fake on social media is 
easy, but recognizing and enjoying 
reality is something that we should 
all aspire to.

From left, Maya Rodemer, Kate Liang, 
Gabriel Cortez, Caleb Green, and Reem Fawaz

#2
 
Best Public School of 
Public Health in the US

@umichsph

STARTS WITH YOU

A

 
HEALTHIER 
WORLD

From left, Maya Rodemer, Kate Liang, 
Gabriel Cortez, Caleb Green, and Reem Fawaz

#2
 
Best Public School of 
Public Health in the US

@umichsph

STARTS WITH YOU

A
 
HEALTHIER 
WORLD

