YOUR Image Building Social Media Skills?

Social media skills and image-building should be taught in college..

Before the internet and social media, most people cared little about what strangers thought of them. The majority of us only turned our heads toward celebrities and politicians.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Consumer Communication?

The rise of social media changed this notion.

As social media further empowered public opinion and gave it more freedom to judge, ordinary people started to use that in their favor.

People now have a way to express and communicate to the world instantly. But just like communicating in person, presenting yourself on social media can be a difficult task. While there are already classes teaching students to communicate traditionally, like public speaking, students also need to learn how to speak on the internet — only this time, it’s with a keyboard.

You might think: “Why do I need someone to tell me how to use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter? My 5-year-old sister knows how to do that.” Yet the truth is, many people don’t know how to take advantage of these platforms.

Many people post things subjectively, with poor consideration of their image and brand. In real life, no one would do such a thing; people usually try their best to consider their actions in a real-world public context and are well adapted to handle those considerations after years of experience.

Related Article: Adjusting YOUR Business Social Media Presence?

However, social media is comparatively new to us, yet it’s evolving much faster than traditional communication.

Each time Facebook or Snapchat changes its rules or adds a feature, it modifies the way social media communicates. It is hard for students to keep track of these changes and communicate effectively via media. Therefore, offering courses that let public relations specialists teach them is important.

In addition, learning how to manage social media helps students gain success. The most significant aspect is leadership education. Gaining leadership qualities is essential to modern higher education, as it teaches you how to manage your image in public and how to build your personal brand. Employers are expecting people to show this when hiring. Some might even look at the candidate’s social media accounts to figure out what kind person they are. And sometimes, that visit will constitute their final decision. Teaching students how to brand themselves is necessary to their success.

Related Article: Should YOUR Business Advertise On Instagram?

Most students are approachable, have brilliant ideas and are people of character, but they need to learn how to show that to the online world.

That’s why social media classes should be offered in college — or in other words, PR courses for everyone.

Social media is a powerful vehicle of self-expression and communication; having this ability brings people closer to success, and offering classes for students to master this tool is an indispensable step to help them make the most out of themselves.

Guest Authored By Li Luyuyang. Li is a writer for The Daily Illini, the independent student newspaper at University of Illinois since 1871. Follow The Daily Illini on Twitter.

Related Article: The Exponential Growth Of Social Media?

"Social media is a powerful vehicle of self-expression and communication; having this ability brings people closer to success.

Offering classes for students to master this tool is an indispensable step to help them make the most out of themselves.."

• 

  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)