My Relationship to Social Media

My journey with social media goes way back to those early days of filming Bean Boozled challenges with friends or putting together “how-to” slime tutorials. It wasn’t just about the final video or photo—I loved finding the perfect angles, planning each shot, editing every clip, and creating something that felt uniquely mine to share. I’ve always enjoyed the thrill of bringing ideas to life, sharing my personality, and seeing how my work resonates with others. My grown love for content creation, especially on Instagram and TikTok, has led me to my acceptance into Her Campus (a program where college students are directly connected to companies looking for ambassadors to send their samples to). I'm excited to dive even deeper into user-generated content. I have had opportunities I could never have achieved by myself like being sent 200 samples from a large makeup brand to distribute to my student organization by being a part of Her Campus. Now, creating videos has become more than just a fun hobby; it’s a way for me to convert my creativity to money, learn new skills, and engage with an audience in a way that feels genuine. Where marketing is heading, “micro”-influencers, or accounts with 30,000 or fewer followers, are more beneficial for marketers to work with” (Main). This makes me excited that a tool that I’ve seen as a hobby for so long could turn into a source of income. 

I chose to take this advanced social media class because social media is constantly evolving, and I always want to stay ahead of the curve. Even before college,I was featured in my high school’s newspaper for my standout instagram feed! I have had a strong understanding of how social media worked, but I wanted to deepen my knowledge and strengthen my professional skill set. Through pursuing a social media certificate at Texas A&M, I’ve learned how to approach social media as both an art and a science—understanding algorithms, audience behavior, and digital ethics while also developing creativity and strategy. Being well-versed in social media has already opened many doors for me, from internships to leadership positions, and pursuing the social media certificate continues to refine the way I think, create, and connect online. 

I am so lucky to be able to apply this passion professionally in advanced social media class, crafting social media audits, thinking critically about trends and who brands should follow. I took this course, to stretch my mind to think critically about algorithms, data analysis, and online policies and regulations. This class has helped me see how social media is both an art and a science. We’ve discussed things that I would not necessarily come across by myself like integrated ethics, misinformation, the writing process, and branding for both personal and professional identities, as well as explored the diverse roles available within the social media industry.

As much as I have benefited from social media with creativity and exposure to many walks of life, I do feel choosing to go through with a profession in social media could potentially end up not being the healthiest. To be knowledgeable in social media means constantly scrolling through feeds, which “the intensity of the online world, which requires constant engagement, creates a factor of self-awareness that may trigger depression in some people” and I feel like I could be really susceptible to this phenomenon (Amedie). I got a small taste with a company I was an ambassador with for three months. Although it was fun getting to have hands-on learning with social media, it exposed how often I had to be looking at a screen throughout the day to get paid. I had to scroll to find inspiration, I had to go film, I had to stare at my phone for hours on end to edit a video. The screen consumed my reality and I am not the only one because “social media is used by billions of people around the world and has fast become one of the defining technologies of our time” (Appel). We have to utilize social media to stay connected. The print news cannot beat the speed of the new technology. I wish there was a way where I could do more physical projects in the world of social media, but as of right now it is not feasible and I will only be passed up in the industry.