Eamon McCarthy
Contributing Writer
In a world where leaving your dorm to meet or talk to people is an abnormality, the typical college freshman experience has drastically changed since our parents went to school. We arrived on campus understanding this time to be transformative and life-changing, but not in the same way that our parents did years ago. Our transition into college comes with the present state of social media and algorithmic feeds that envelop our attention.
The app of choice here on campus, at least in the month I’ve been here, is Fizz. Designed to generate maximum engagement through unfiltered, rapid-fire posts, platforms like Fizz trade real connection for anonymous input that seems to divide more than connect. This seems all too similar to the story of Harvard in 2004, when a certain social network took shape that would evolve into Facebook. With many schools participating in apps like Fizz or Yik-Yak (another very popular option with a similar purpose), toxic campus cultures are created, often diminishing the overall student body.
Beyond campus-specific apps, mainstream platforms like TikTok and Instagram control our days with algorithms. These feeds create personalized, custom-built experiences to keep us scrolling and inside, removing us from the intended college experience that exists outside the dorm room. College is supposed to challenge your thoughts as well as the assumptions you come to school with, but with the algorithm-based feeds at the tips of our fingers, we can fall into the comfort of the close-minded media of TikTok. Rather than building relationships, trying new things and branching out, the world of media today is designed to maintain a state of isolation and close-mindedness as we navigate freshman year.
Finally, relying on digital interfaces destroys the circumstances required to build real independence. Scrolling, texting or venting thoughts onto Fizz instead of taking the opportunity to go to a live show, try a new study spot or meet with a professor will exile an individual rather than keep them involved.
Some might argue that these apps actually help students who are shy to stay informed, and while that’s true, relying on digital spaces as a primary social outlet is incredibly unhealthy for an individual. According to the National Institute of Health, “because people commonly value online interaction over in-person interactions, research suggests that extensive social media use may result in lower-quality face-to-face encounters.”
As a freshman myself, I understand how quickly the college world can influence people differently, and I recognize especially the danger of letting algorithms control our lives. Trading real-life interactions for the artificial satisfaction found online is a dangerous situation to find yourself in. To maintain balance, it is important for people to know the dangerous effects that social media can have on the human mind. We as a college should actively step away from algorithmic feeds and social media as a whole and immerse ourselves more in the campus community surrounding us.
