My Erasmus Through my Social Media
UncategorizedI’ve never been super into social media, which is ironic since my major is “advertising”. When I was younger, this wasn’t a big deal, it was just an interesting choice. But, nowadays, I believe not being active on social media really affects the way your daily life goes, not necessarily in a bad way, but it definitely has an impact on your life. I currently use Twitter (my favorite), VSCO, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube and I just joined TikTok. The thing is that the only one I actually post content in is VSCO. In the rest, I’m just an observer (sounds creepy?).
Nowadays, I consider your Instagram profile to be a kind of “presentation/business card”. If you just met someone you know nothing of, you just check their profile to see if they fit your lifestyle or beliefs, and right there and there people can make a decision on whether they are interested in actually getting to know the person or not. In my case, my feed is empty, so people do not get to have that preview.
This discourages me to share my Instagram account because to be honest there is no reason to, so I always end up sharing my phone number instead. This gives me a bit of anxiety because I would like to know about everyone I met here in the future, and the best way to do that is through Instagram.
Also, when I see my friends’ feeds and how it works to tell stories in a way, I get a bit sad that I don’t have that. Sometimes I would like to have that collection of videos and pictures in there for me to look back on in the future.
Though, t is not all bad when you don’t post. Personally, thanks to that, I don’t feel the need to post regularly or keep my Instagram up to date, which is a task I personally find stressful. I’ve also found out that having 0 posts is a good conversation starter.
No matter if I post or not, Instagram has been a huge part of my Erasmus. First of all, following the ESN Mesa account allowed to find out about the events that were taking place during the whole year, where I got to meet a big part of my friend group. I also follow many accounts that give you tips on where to go in Munich for different occasions, and as a foreigner I’ve found those really helpful. It has also allowed me to stay in touch with friends and family from back home and to know what they are up to and if they are doing okay.
This app hasn’t really had that big of an impact on my Erasmus. I use it every day to stay up to date with what is going on in my country and back in Spain. I also use it to get news and information about current issues in Germany since I like the short text format and, in that platform, it is also very easy to translate from German. During the first semester I used to go to twitter regularly to see what the COVID regulations were currently in Bavaria.
TikTok
As I said before, I’m new to TikTok, but I have to say that it really knows how to show you the content you want/need. In my case, it shows me a lot of videos that teach you German words and most importantly, it shows me videos of people recommending places or plans in Munich, which I find very helpful. Also, I downloaded the app mostly for my sister. She really enjoys it and always wanted me to get it so that we can share videos we like with each other. So, in a way, it has allowed me to stay close to her.
YouTube
YouTube was very important for my Erasmus specifically in the beginning because that is where I went first to get information not only on the Erasmus experience and paperwork, but also about Munich and live in Munich as an Erasmus student. I remember a specific video of a Spanish girl that shared her experience here, I would say that video is one of the things that helped me make my decision. Currently, I use YouTube for entertainment almost daily because that is where I find all my favorite podcasts that usually have a video version.
This is probably the most important app on my phone. Thank to WhatsApp not only do I stay in touch with people back home, but I also belong to a community here in Munich. If it wasn’t for WhatsApp groups, I wouldn’t know most of the people I know now, I wouldn’t find out about all the cool events that take place every week, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have even found my accommodation.
VSCO
VSCO is an app where you can post photos and add filters to them, kind of like Instagram. What I like about it is that it is not an app that is all about selfies, likes and followers and reactions. It is just about having a gallery that shows whatever you want people to see. Consistency is not my strong suit, but whenever I remember to take pictures, I post them and thanks to that I have a nice view on what the last couple years of my life have been like, including my Erasmus. When I check my profile, I get to see how little by little my life has been changing and how different things are since October when I first came here.
In conclusion, social media is something that in my opinion, you cannot escape nowadays. Whether I want it or not, it has been part of my Exchange experience and even though I’m not a very very active social media user, it has found ways to impact my experience here. Thanks to them, I’ll be able to stay in touch with my closest friends from here and I cannot imagine leaving here and never knowing from them. So, I’m very thankful to be living in this generation.