What My Social Media Class Taught Me (That I Didn't Learn on Social Media)

    As my first year of college wraps up, I’ve been thinking a lot about the classes that actually changed how I see the world—and surprisingly, Principles of Social Media was one of them. Going into the course, I thought I already knew everything I needed to about social media. I mean, I use Instagram daily, scroll TikTok like it’s my job and keep up streaks on Snapchat. But it turns out there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes—and now, I can’t unsee it.

    One of the first things I learned was that the algorithm is everything—and it's also constantly changing. The content we see, the posts that blow up and even the trends we think are totally organic are often the result of calculated, ever-evolving algorithms. I always thought going viral was kind of random, but there’s actual strategy behind it, and that strategy has to keep shifting. Social media users, especially creators and brands, have to adapt constantly or risk being left behind. What worked last month might be totally irrelevant now. It’s a fast-moving world, and the algorithm doesn’t wait for anyone.

    Another thing that really surprised me was how different each platform’s algorithm actually is. We dove into this during the Social Media Workshop, and it opened my eyes. For example, TikTok is all about pushing content to people who might not follow you yet—it’s designed to make anyone the next big thing, even with zero followers. Instagram, on the other hand, focuses more on engagement within your own network. That’s why content strategies have to be platform specific. A video that performs well on TikTok might totally flop on Instagram, not because it’s bad content but because the platforms prioritize different things. As someone who mostly uses Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, learning about these differences helped me understand why I interact with content the way I do and how other people might experience things totally differently.

    Speaking of platforms, I also learned that my go-to apps aren’t necessarily the most popular social networks. This blew my mind. While I’m refreshing my Instagram feed, millions of others are on Facebook, WhatsApp or even LinkedIn. These platforms dominate in ways I didn’t fully appreciate before. It reminded me how easy it is to assume that your own experience is the universal one. Social media is huge, and the way people use it varies a lot depending on age, culture and even country. It’s not all aesthetic stories and dance trends—though I still love both.

    But probably the most important lesson I learned had to do with privacy and what we put online. We watched The Social Dilemma in class, and it really shook me. I’d heard before that social media companies collect our data, but seeing it laid out so clearly made it feel more real and more unsettling. These platforms are designed to keep us engaged, yes, but they’re also tracking so much of what we do. And it’s not just what we post—it’s what we like, how long we hover over a video and who we interact with. I started to think more critically about my own digital footprint. What kind of information am I giving away without even realizing it?

    This class gave me a whole new lens to view the apps I use every day. I learned how powerful social media can be—for connection, creativity and communication—but also how complex and, at times, manipulative it can be. More than anything, it taught me that social media isn’t just something you scroll through—it’s something you should understand.

    And now, every time I see a viral post or trending sound, I can’t help but think about the algorithm behind it. That’s how I know this class really stuck with me.