Hi everyone! As you can see from the title, I don’t have any social media that I actually use on a daily basis, and I was wondering if this would affect my social life, etc. in college? I have a Snapchat and a Facebook, but I don’t use either at all. I’m not not using social media for some pretentious reason; I don’t think that people that use it are braindead slaves or anything. I was just kind of shy in high school and disliked my classmates, so I didn’t really see the point in getting it. Also, I’m a perfectionist, and I know that if I started using social media (actively posting), I’d get hooked and be heavily invested in it. I don’t know, I just don’t think it would be great for my mental health. Also, I wouldn’t want it to be private, but I don’t want it to harm me career-wise, and obviously, if I do use it, I’m not going to be posting about how much studying I do and use perfect grammar, etc. That being said, I think it would be helpful social life wise, and dating life wise. (I’m a lesbian, so the best ways for me to meet girls in college would probably be online, through Bumble or something, or at LGBT events/through LGBT groups. Unfortunately, I’m not going to like, Macalester or something, so.)
Also, obviously, I think it’d be weird for me to get some this late. I’m thinking Instagram, and I guess I could figure out a way to get myself to more than 100 followers before school starts, but I don’t know. The whole thing just seems so stressful and overwhelming. Like, what if I don’t get many likes on my posts or something?
Anyways, sorry for the essay. I would really appreciate all of your inputs on this. Thank you so much!!!
No
There’s many thoughts there. Many people do get social media around the time they enter college, so it wouldn’t be weird at all. But I think the biggest concern is the one that you brought up that you know that you would be heavily hooked on it.
Many of my friends didn’t have social media in college, and it wasn’t weird. Facebook can be helpful in finding out about events/organizing, but email and campus listservs will always be there. Also social media can be helpful in adding someone quickly or reaching out to someone who you didn’t get their phone number, but overall I don’t think you are missing out that much as long as you can text/keep updated with other people. Also the key is just not to compare yourself with others, which will eliminate many of those problems whether you are on or off social media.
You will work out pretty quickly what the main platforms that people in your college use for communicating, and irl it probably makes sense to be on those platforms. There is a middle ground between being a heavy poster and not being on at all.
One of my collegekids is not a social media soul at all, but she is in several groups- a couple of study groups, one of her main ECs- which are used essentially for scheduling & sharing info. There is a very useful For Sale group, that is open to the whole college community, which is great for buying & selling everything from text books to bicycles to stuff for your door room. And so on.
It might help if you look at it as more like a billboard that makes it easier/faster to get info for practical purposes, not as a mini-magazine about you 
I have also found that many college students use apps such as Groupme as a way to keep in contact with friend groups, their halls, and clubs so messaging and group apps may be a good happy medium between keeping in touch with others and not having social media.
My daughter is your age, starting school in about 5 weeks.
Have you found a roommate yet? If not, go to your school’s Facebook page, and look for the Class of 2022 page. Join, and join into the conversation.
She’s made a number of friends already, including the girl she’ll be rooming with. They texted back and forth for a while, met IRL at orientation, and get along well.
I would think that opting out here could leave you with the disadvantage of not knowing anyone when you arrive, already feeling like you’re alone when others have friends in those first scary days.