Caitlin Hoffman | Contributing Writer
We all know what it’s like to try to use our smartphones discreetly in class. Am I right? Seems like there are so many times when the professor is droning on and on and the clock ticks even slower. Having my iPhone is both a blessing and a curse. Being able to quickly access my bank account or email back in a jiffy is ideal for my busy schedule; but the easy access to social media sites lets me waste away my day looking at pictures, chatting with friends, or posting various antics of my daily life.
Social media sites continue to grow, multiply, and be a part of daily life for millions of people. Nice to know I’m not alone! However, many would argue that this is a nightmare, that we are facing a horrendous future due to our inactivity, overuse, and lack of intelligence that social media brings. Nevertheless, I’m one of the positive believers, in that I have confidence in social media sites because of the unbelievable connection they provide for users.
Working two jobs outside of the university keeps me in Storm Lake over many of the holidays and breaks that most college students would trudge home for. I’m definitely not complaining, even though I do miss the home-cooked meals. With that being said, I’ve learned how to compensate for the lack of family moments. Facebook offers me a connection to almost all of my family members, both young and old. I’m able to tell my aunt who lives halfway across Iowa about minor details in my life with just a click of my mouse. My cousins who go to college in Colorado are able to share their stories with me quickly between classes because Facebook chat allows us.
Some would argue that it’s just as easy to pick up a phone and call these people to tell them about my life, but…. It’s not that easy. My mom even argues with me because I hardly ever answer her phone calls because I’m always in meetings or doing something that keeps me from conversing with her. It’s much easier to open a new tab and take three minutes to type her name in and send a quick message about my day. My family connections are extremely important to me and social media sites have only made it easier to keep those contacts strong.
Those connections with family aren’t the only reason I adore social media sites. Being the Student Senate president, I noticed a severe lack of connection between senators and the student body. No one knew that we were actually doing anything on Thursday nights or recognized who their representatives were. This really made me upset, so I decided that pursuing a media presence would be in our favor. We’ve built a strong following on both Facebook and Twitter and hope to gain even more attention from the Beavers who don’t know about our sites yet. We use these sites to share information about the happenings on campus and to help students stay linked to their representatives so they can easily access us if they have questions or concerns. We love the interaction and take pride in knowing that we are actually reaching students instead of hiding in Forum 1 talking about current issues without anyone knowing they were ever an issue.
Life is all about staying connected and building networks. We are so fortunate that we have these bridges to help us do that. So to all of the social media haters out there: my mom wouldn’t get to know much about me without those sites, our student body would be much less informed, and honestly? We would have to listen to professors much more closely without them. Wink, wink!
Graphic by Aaron Burns
