Over the past few years, TikTok has exploded and grown to be one of the most popular apps among young people in the United States. As TikTok has grown in such a short period of time, many universities around the country have taken advantage of its popularity and created official TikTok accounts and pages. However, ASU is not one of those schools.
Universities like the University of California, Los Angeles, and UA both have official TikTok accounts that show what the campus is like in creative ways and what student life is like when class is in session.
Many schools already have TikTok accounts for their athletic departments and even for some specific sports. ASU does not have an athletic TikTok, something increasingly common for both collegiate and professional programs to have.
ASU needs to develop an official account because it can help with the recruitment of students when high schoolers are applying to universities. According to Statista, 25% of all TikTok users in the U.S. are between 10-19 years old.
Social media, and more specifically TikTok, has a huge influence on Generation Z and how they live their life. According to a Gen Z marketing consultant quoted in Forbes, "Generation Z understands that social media is like a highlight reel, and we choose to show what we feel best about. It's less about insecurity and more about being a self-confidence booster."
With a statistic like this, the development of an official account can only benefit the school. By reaching the younger demographic where it is already spending time online, it gives the University an edge over other schools that students are applying to because it gives the administration the edge in social media and in the recruitment of future students.
ASU also is a very diverse university and shows prospective students who might be coming from a different country. Having TikTok will allow these students to feel welcomed into the ASU community.
“ASU should have an official TikTok account because I feel it would show how diverse the culture is and give an inside look into what being a college student at ASU looks like,” said sophomore nursing student Kylie Aube.
Having strong social media can only help ASU with recruiting prospective students throughout the country and the world and helping students engage in new ways that have never been seen before. For example, ASU could give a short explanation on how it stands out compared to other schools in the country simply by making a three-minute post on TikTok.
Using TikTok will create a new audience for the University and will allow current students to have fun with school officials and create a fun, learning environment that can be posted for all to see.
For a university that prides itself in being No. 1 in innovation for seven straight years, it only makes sense that it needs to hop on the trend of creating a TikTok account.
Reach the reporter at alkalmba@asu.edu and follow @adokalm32 on Twitter.
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Editor's note: The opinions presented in this column are the author's and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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Addison Kalmbach is a reporter for The State Press Sports desk. He has previously worked for Detroit City FC and PHOENIX Magazine.
