As a future college student who currently has no social media accounts, I am curious how this might affect my ‘college experience.’ It was never a hassle in my small high school, but I will be attending a large university. Frankly, I rather enjoy the freedom- not having to deal with checking it, etc. But I also don’t want to miss out on anything either. Any thoughts?
I don’t have any social media. It has not adversely impacted my social life.
I didn’t use any social media account when I started college, but I get a Facebook in college because it made it easier to organize large group events with friends. I also used it to communicate with classmates and such. Some classes would have groups where students would post notes, ask/answer questions, and form study groups. I had private groups with students I worked with, with my cohort in grad school, with my friends from high school, etc, and it was helpful for when we wanted to ask a question or give everyone a document or plan something.
I don’t see any downside to it. I don’t check it often at all, and you don’t have to if you don’t want to. My friends know that facebook is not the way to get in touch with my if there’s something they actually need to tell me right away–that’s why I have a cell phone. But it can be a nice way to keep in touch with people who may be far away or who you don’t have the time to talk to regularly. It was helpful to plan and organize events, especially when not everyone can group text. But it doesn’t have to be a drag or take away from your freedom. I have lots of friends who rarely use their facebook for anything other than posting something to a private group page when they want to get a message out to everyone without bothering with a group text.
Not having one will certainly not hurt your “college experience.” But having one can sometimes be helpful. And if you ever decide to start one, it doesn’t have to consume your life either. You certainly don’t have to check it all the time or become attached to it in anyway.
I’ve never found a purpose for all of the other ones, but perhaps, that’s just because I’m getting old =D
It’s certainly not needed, but having one form really does help. I’d second getting a facebook, just to be able to track people down and for any group invites. If you know someone’s name but don’t have their phone number, facebook is perfect. That and events are the only two things I’ve used in college. Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, etc are absolutely not used.
Facebook won’t take time, there’s no need to even check it. Use the messenger app on your phone and it’s almost exactly like texting.
People went to college and were forming social groups before the internet, so I assume it won’t be a big deal. As others have said, it can be helpful in some instances but it is not a requirement to have the full college experience.
Does not having a social media account affect your life right now? If not, then you should have no problem not having one. Personally, I could not go through college without a facebook. (a good chunk of social interaction happens online)
Some people are fine with having just 1 conversation a day with with someone in person. Since that is not enough for me, Facebook really helps in getting me connected with people to talk to online and offline
For me, I found out about a lot of events through Facebook- I think this is especially important at a large university. Also, I almost always had group chats going with various groups of friends. In one of my friend groups, one of us didn’t have a Facebook, and he’d frequently be left out of a) conversations and b) impromptu dinners and lunches. I don’t know-- I can’t imagine not having Facebook messenger because it seems like such an immediate and efficient way of getting in touch with people. It’s hard to have huge long conversations through text, but it’s much easier to talk on the computer. Also, I frequently found myself needing to get in touch with people from my clubs/classes whose numbers I didn’t have, but I could find them easily on FB.
It’s not necessary, but it’s likely that there will be situations where you’ll get weird looks from people. Facebook is in some sense the precursor to ‘getting a phone number’ these days. A lot of times when you meet someone they’ll say ‘hey, you should add me on Facebook!’ Will it be a problem? No, but I like having it.
By not having a social media account you will miss out on something’s, but it won’t adversely affect you. If you want access to university and organization news and announcements, it would hurt to sign up and just follow the group’s you meet along the way.
Hey guys, sorry for the delay in responding. I really appreciate all of the feedback, and will take it into consideration. I do have a bit more time before school starts, though, so I’m going to think on it a bit. In the meantime, I appreciate any more feedback. 
I actually have Facebook mostly for the messaging. My phone (and service) are unreliable. My sorority president doesn’t even bother with texting me anymore. Unless I text her first, she messages me on Facebook and I get it on my tablet. Other than that, I only really use it to check for University and CBE announcements.
Bottom line, you can live without it, but you may find it useful.
You could get a Facebook account and just use it infrequently. You don’t have to be a slave to it. It’s not a big deal.
Students actively use social media.The study found no correlation between heavy social media usage and grades.
It’s not necessary, but they are helpful in certain aspects. For example, I used to not have a Facebook account, but I made one just so I could find shared apartments to live in because my university’s Housing FB page has more traffic and is more successful than the Uloop housing page (which not many people use). Students at my university also use Facebook to sell or give away unwanted used school supplies, books, furniture, clothes, etc. to each other. The clubs I’m in also use Facebook pretty heavily, and some only use Facebook to announce any upcoming events (they don’t send out emails).
It doesn’t matter one way or the other. You often don’t need an account to look at group pages and stuff.
I know my school, for one, is doing a really big social media push. So if you’re already on twitter and instagram - and of course, facebook, it’s pretty convenient to find out about relevant dates and events just by following those accounts. It’s not the only way to find out, but I personally find it convenient.
For whatever it’s worth, some schools are really integrating social media into various coursework. A lot of classes set up Facebook groups to discuss homework or various news relating to the class. I’m currently in an internship at Fermilab, and prior to the start of the internship there was a Facebook group set up by the internship coordinator, and this group was basically how we all got updates on things like required forms and deadlines and things like that. Our whole internship group is still using this Facebook group as a means of keeping in touch, and we have set up a GroupMe app as well which is how we’re mainly keeping in touch with one another.
Like I said before, it’s not necessary most of the time, but you may encounter situations where it’s almost necessary, or at least very advantageous.
I don’t have any social media , unless you count texting. Do you text?
Not having twitter or facebook saves you so much time. More time=better grades 
It might affect you if everyone is using FB to contact people about events…if you insist on a separate mechanism you are creating more of an obstacle for yourself.
Hey guys, again, thanks for all of the different views! I really appreciate them, and they are helping me to form a plan of sorts. Not having any social media has not affected my life significantly right now, which was a factor a couple of people have mentioned, and I also see that almost everyone agrees that I risk missing out on various conversations with friends and university events. That is also something I am strongly considering as well. I am still somewhat undecided, but tentatively think that I will wait until the first week or two of college to create an account, if I find that I need it. Meantime, I will use various other means of communication (phone, email, text, etc.) to try to keep up with conversations and events. Thoughts on my plan are appreciated, and I would love to hear more people’s opinions on the topic in general! Thanks guys!