Written by John Feigelson
When prompted to think of an idyllic college campus, what comes to mind? I think of blue skies, happy students, attractive buildings, and posters everywhere. In movies and TV shows about college, there are often a number of proactive students who go about hanging up posters around campus and on those weird-looking pillars. Before construction began, two of those weird pillars stood behind Tutt Library. They contained scores of pockmarks, the remnants of thumbtacks past, tatters of posters, and the occasional new poster. These signposts were there to let people know what was happening that weekend, what jobs were available, and what was for sale.
There are still physical posters seen around campus, whether in the stairwells of the dorms or along the walls as you walk into the Worner Campus Center. However, since the advent of social media, Facebook has become an important supplement to these analog methods. Social media is often criticized for encouraging individuals to place value on their virtual interactions over their interpersonal relations. While there is some merit to these statements, for better or worse, Facebook has become the 21st century’s poster board, marketplace, and event planner.
The prevalence of computers and social media on campus allows students to see an abundance of useful event pages and notices about what is happening on campus. The widespread use of Facebook for event coordination enables students to engage easily with the state of affairs on campus, and, as a result, allows students to keep their schedules organized. Posters can tell you where an event is and what it is called. This is inarguably useful information, but on Facebook you can learn who is going, what the weather will be like, and read more in-depth details on the nature of the event. In this regard, Facebook outdoes a poster.
Within the smaller Colorado College Facebook environment, groups such as Free & For Sale allow sellers and buyers to communicate rapidly to sort out transactions, versus the relatively cumbersome method of ripping a small piece of paper with a phone number and sorting it out over the phone. A simple ‘like’ or Facebook message can be responded to instantaneously, versus the lag time which is inherent in telephone communication.
Besides being a repository for memes, social media is first and foremost a tool. It is used to connect people: to enhance real life with a virtual scaffold. I do not suggest that Facebook is replacing the analog methods of hanging posters; rather, it is enhancing it, improving the engagement of a community by keeping people more consistently engaged. It is a safe bet to say that more students spend time looking at Facebook than standing in front of the walls and poster boards looking for things to do. Sophomore Lily Green, who does not have a Facebook account, admits to feeling somewhat out of the loop when it comes to campus events.
“Friends with Facebook accounts often inform me about events, but other than that I might miss a couple because I don’t know that they’re happening,” said Green. While not being engaged with social media is not necessarily a handicap, Facebook is certainly an important way in which students can remain immersed in campus life.
Facebook is undoubtedly one of the most visited web pages for many CC students. These students will see what events their friends are going to, what events their crush might be going to, what couch is for sale that will fit perfectly in their Mathias single, upcoming concerts and shows on campus, and loads of other campus goings-on. Mark Zuckerberg’s ubiquitous social network can surely dull the edge of an individual’s social acumen, leading to a focus on likes and what sort of image they project on their profile. But when it comes to campus life, Facebook has evolved into an essential utility for strong and active community engagement.