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