When people think of the University, they think of football, academics and parties. The University is obviously more than what they post on their social media. 
Social media is the hottest outlet of technology and the University should take advantage of that to support its students. There are so many social media influencers on campus, yet they do not receive the support they need from their school. 

Many student influencers post videos about the University and their lives as students. Potential students watch these videos and notice how invigorating it is to be a student. Influencers promote the University, but the University’s social media accounts rarely feature students’ videos. 

Jobs associated with social media have been becoming more and more popular recently. As the use of social media skyrocketed, new bloggers and influencers have been surfacing all over, creating content for niche audiences. From vloggers to fitness videos to TikTokers, our students have been breaking barriers within the social media industry. 

The University could really advance the platform of student influencers if they took the time out to support them. Maybe the University could allow students to submit content through a portal for administration to review. They could post videos they feel represent a positive brand and even promote a different student every month. 

The University always supports content that goes viral. The infamous “Get The Gat” videos went viral during the 2019-2020 football season as the Tigers soared to National Championships. Football players even posted their “Get The Gat” challenge in the White House; our administration did not hesitate to repost the videos and its remakes.

After the “Get The Gat” trend went viral, its creator Subtweet Shawn’s career expanded. He was featured in Lil Elt’s “Get The Gat” official music video. He even started creating “Get The Nat” merchandise following the Tigers’ win at the National Championships. If the University showed that type of support to other creators, influencers’ careers could skyrocket. 

Subtweet Shawn has mentioned the University’s initial lack of support multiple times. The University should not wait until students go viral to support their content; they should help students go viral and build a fan base.

Addison Rae, a former student of the University, expresses how she dropped out of college to explore her opportunities as a social media influencer. The University needs to show students that our campus is full of those same opportunities. 

YouTubers on campus include Destiny Jenae’, Maddie Dies and Brittley Humphrey. We’re also home to TikTokers like Olivia Dunne, Josh Williams and Morgan Sellers. 

Let’s support our peers in their endeavors. The University does not hesitate to post videos about touchdowns or wins, so it should show the same support for the creatives on campus. 
Tamia Southall is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from New Orleans.