Having returned from my semester abroad in Belfast, Northern Ireland two months ago, I cannot help but notice the flood of pictures and videos on my Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram accounts from this semester’s group of students studying abroad. As my friends post images of the picturesque views of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland or a wine and pizza night in Rome, I remember how I felt when I decided to study abroad: a yearning to travel all corners of the world.
However, my renewed desire to explore is accompanied by a wisdom accrued from studying and traveling around Europe the prior semester, especially concerning social media usage. Studying abroad appears like an idyllic experience in most social media posts. Jenni Wilson ‘20, who studied abroad in Florence, Italy, during the fall 2018 semester, views social media as a platform that “helps perpetuate this portrayal of study abroad as this incredible, idealized experience.”
This idealistic representation of study abroad on social media not only gives those at home a false impression of a complete study abroad experience, but also applies pressure on others studying abroad. During my time in Belfast, I worried that my experience was not as fulfilling as others’ experiences because I was not traveling nearly as much as some of my friends were. Social media heightened my tendency to compare my study abroad experience with others and to equate the value of my time abroad to how many places I had been to.
In addition to serving as a platform to idealize studying abroad, social media also has the power to remove one entirely from his or her experiences. Several times when I was traveling, I was focused less on enjoying the present moment than on capturing the perfect picture for my Instagram account. In addition, checking social media can lead to increased fears of missing out on whatever is occurring back home. Saadya Chevan ‘19, the managing editor of The College Voice who studied abroad in Vienna, Austria during the spring 2018 semester, says that his relationship between social media and study abroad was “tricky” as his feed was “very American-centric.”
Despite the drawbacks of using social media while studying abroad, such outlets have the potential for positive use. Shirley Parson, Director of Study Away, believes that social media can be a great means of communication in case of an emergency. On a more day-to-day basis, Parson sees promise in social media as means of giving friends and family insight into the study abroad experience. Different social media platforms give different impressions of study abroad. While some people (like myself) construct Facebook albums with over nine hundred pictures in them, some Conn students like David Johnston ‘19, use Instagram to showcase their experiences. Johnston, who studied abroad in Vienna, Austria in Spring 2018, made an Instagram account entirely devoted to travel to share his adventures.
Balancing study abroad and social media can be difficult, but it is not impossible to maintain healthy social media habits while traveling. To avoid the problems social media poses to the study abroad experience, Conn administrators should hold an information session on the topic, complete with advice on how best to use social media alongside tips on how to stay in the moment. We must remember that while study abroad gives many students transformative experiences, social media is deceptive. Learning to assimilate and adapt to a new culture is challenging. Despite the pictures you see online, not everyone experiences study abroad as idyllic at every moment of their travels.
