ASU’s vibrant campus life comes largely from the array of clubs that the University boasts, with over 800 student organizations across all campuses. Social media has become the primary vessel students use to spread information about clubs, replacing traditional flyers.
Club leaders have turned to social media platforms such as Instagram and websites, like Sun Devil Central, to promote events and meetings.
For some students, the shift marks the need to move past traditional promotion, while others mourn the diminished campus tradition.
The 2026-27 Student Club and Organization Handbook no longer outlines rules regarding kiosk use.
"In particular, it notes that use of bulletin boards or message boards inside buildings should be approved by the department that manages the boards, and that advertisements in University Housing must be approved by University Housing and Residential Life," an ASU spokesperson wrote in a statement.
Samiha Uddin, a senior studying computer science and president of the Book and Tea Club , said the policy shift has changed the way the club promotes itself to students.
With posters only being permitted in specific locations, the Book and Tea Club has largely turned toward social media for promotion.
"Even if we use social media and Instagram, people have so many people that they follow on social media, our post easily gets buried underneath so they don't know what's going on," Uddin said.
The Book and Tea Club has seen less impact from their outreach efforts as a result of not being able to garner traction from students by advertising outside of dorms.
On the other hand, Diane Bañuelos, a senior studying biological sciences and co-president of the Sustainability Club at Barrett, said her club has not been impacted as a result of the new poster policy.
"Speaking on sustainability, we never really use flyers, so we haven't had too much of a difference," Bañuelos said. "But it is different because people have to seek out what they want to be involved in."
While the club already relied on social media for outreach, students are still having to think outside of the box to develop engaging and meaningful ways to expand their organization’s outreach.
Bañuelos said that collaborations with other clubs have helped the Sustainability Club to reach a broader audience. To cut through oversaturated feeds, impactful marketing strategies have become critical.
Kristine Kim, a junior studying biomedical sciences, said that student organizations are taking advantage of current trends to stand out in social media feeds.
She said the shift from in-person outreach to digital spaces has encouraged students to creatively adapt to changing times.
"With the shift into the digital space versus in person, I know there's some pros and cons, but I think it's really cool to see how students always find ways to still keep that engagement and connection in some shape or form," Kim said.
Edited by Dhemi Bell, Emilio Alvarado and Sophia Keeling.
Reach the reporters at ccbixby@asu.edu.
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