Social Media and Underserved Students

Here is an article on using social media to provide college resources to underserved students, particularly in areas pertaining to access, financial aid, and academic success.

“For underserved students, one of the most plaguing issues is affording and accessing college, as the lack of resources has been a perpetual struggle. Social networking, society’s most transformative and interactive tool, hosts applications that bring complex and inaccessible resources to all students. Founded on the campuses of higher education institutions, social media sites are incorporating a mixture of entertainment, interaction and guidance to the college admissions and completion processes.”

While social media could be a valuable tool for providing resources to underserved students, I wonder what effects it might have on the social experiences of these students. It used to be that a student met her roommate and classmates when she arrived at college; now she can find these students on Facebook and Twitter and communicate with them before the school year begins. I wonder if early exposure to classmates online helps underserved students feel more accepted when they get to campus, or if it can have the opposite effect and leave them feeling more anxious and excluded. (Considering, too, that our online and face-to-face personas are often different.) How might Cedric’s first-year social experiences have been different if he had met Rob and Zayd online the summer before Brown? Would he have initially felt more comfortable at Brown or more isolated? How might the other students' perceptions of Cedric have been different?