TikTok has been a hot topic over the past few years. Arguably the most popular social media app amongst younger users, TikTok has drawn immense praise for it’s user-generated content but also scrutiny for perceived cybersecurity threats by law makers. Just this. According to NPR, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill requiring ByteDance, a Chinese company, to obtain American ownership or risk a ban on their app. The bill, which included foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel, was successfully passed. It now heads to the Senate,
The fate of TikTok remains uncertain due to the possibility of a ban, yet its significant influence on young adults is evident. A 2022 Pew Research study on social media users aged 13-17 revealed that 67% of teens use TikTok, with 16% using it almost constantly. A TikTok newsroom release in 2023 reveals that the app has 150 million American users, highlighting the immense impact it has. The reach of TikTok even extends outside of the app, as other social media and social video applications feature TikTok-created videos as its most engaging content.
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TikTok features curated videos that capture the college experience, showcasing events like parties, probates, and concerts, as well as skits that humorously depict the daily life of college students. The videos receive thousands and millions of views and are frequently shared on other college-centered social media platforms. However, the depiction of the college experience, particularly the HBCU experience, showcased on TikTok is often distorted.
Two common portrayals of the college experience emerge: the excessively thrilling and uproarious, or the decidedly pessimistic and fault-finding. While content falling into these categories isn’t inherently negative, as they genuinely mirror aspects of college life, prospective students are frequently misled to think that HBCU life conforms to both these extremes, leading to a skewed perception of the whole experience.
@the.jt love my hbcu down, but its time ta goooo it just seems like everything is for a “look” these days #hbcu #ncat #hbcutiktok #blacktiktok #foryou ♬ original sound – jada tinsley
These sentiments are often discussed, both on campus and even on TikTok itself. Take for instance a February video created by North Carolina A&T student and TikTok user @the.jt. She posted a video about the distorted view of the HBCU experience that prospective students receive that jades their experience. Her video went viral, garnering over 196,000 views.
“This might be a little controversial to say, but I’ma say it anyway. Don’t get me. But social media is ruining HBCUs and I’m gonna tell you why,” she said at the start of the video. She then went on to tell the story of a student that attended North Carolina A&T because of the experience that they saw on TikTok.
“Literally, I was a friend telling me the other day that a freshman had came up to him and he was like, yeah, like this school not all that. Y’all see more lit on TikTok…Excuse me? Like, did you come to A& T because you saw a fun TikTok of us? Like what?”
Another popular North Carolina A&T TikTok user @unlaidadulthairs echoed the same sentiments as she stitched a video of a high school student visiting North Carolina A&T on a recruitment visit. The student appeared to be displeased with the experience.
@unlaidadulthairs #stitch with @. #ncat #ncat28 #ncat27 #aggiepride ♬ original sound – God fearing black queen
“I’m going to just keep it a buck with you,” she boldly asserted in the video. “Regardless of what black college you go to, if you put a bunch of black people in a room y’all going to have fun. So, stop picking colleges because y’all seen a lit TikTok. That’s not how y’all supposed to do that, y’all. When picking a college, you should actually research the university, the programs. Is it accredited? Like, what’s the retention rate? What’s the freaking graduation rate?”
Later in the video, she said, “Y’all please like school is school. Y’all be coming to college thinking y’all going to be lit this down a third and forget you’re here for a degree. School is school. Yes, fun in the student experience is a part of college selection, but that shouldn’t be above the education aspect when it comes to selecting. Cause y’all be coming off of TikToks and vibes and then y’all realize, dang, I really got to go to class. Dang, we really don’t dress up every day. Dang, it’s really not a party every day.:
The viewpoints of the two young women at North Carolina A&T aptly highlight the problem with the portrayal of the college experience on TikTok. When the college experience is depicted solely as constantly enjoyable or overly negative, and if the prospective student doesn’t conduct additional research but instead relies solely on TikTok to select their preferred institution, it can lead them to form expectations that may be challenging for any institution to meet.
The answer to this issue isn’t straightforward. It’s challenging to attribute a distorted view of college life to a single person or group, along with the duty to modify content and discussions. The burden itself is tough for HBCU-focused social media platforms, as our content is significantly shaped by the algorithm. A video about study tips or aspects of college rarely shown on social platforms might not receive as much engagement as fraternity or sorority performances or mass student events during homecoming.
HBCU marketing and communications departments, already active on TikTok and other social media platforms, must collaborate with key social media influencers on their campuses. This partnership aims to create captivating content targeting prospective students in new and innovative ways.
By doing so, they can manage the narrative effectively and showcase their distinctive qualities. Moreover, teaming up with popular influencers or student ambassadors from HBCUs can broaden their reach and address any misconceptions about college life at these institutions.
HBCU student influencers can also ensure there is diversity in the content they create. Students who are adept at TikTok and other social media platforms can be complicit in how the image of their institutions ins portrayed and provide the right information about the college experience. We should all follow the lead of @the.jt and @unlaidadulthairs in speaking truth about the real HBCU experience and all of it’s complexities. Then, and only then, will prospective students be able to make informed decisions about their college choices.
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