Millions watch their 'digital diaries': Influencers want to show you what college is really like

It’s that time of year again! The SUVs and U-Hauls are packed, Target shelves are cleared and parents everywhere are preparing for teary-eyed goodbyes: college kids are going back to school.

But while much of the process has stayed the same, Gen Z has a new way of getting ready. Many incoming college students are turning to content creators on social media for advice on everything from living with a roommate to not failing their classes.

College orientations provide students with logistics and essential information, but YouTubers fill in the gaps by documenting their own experiences at schools across the country. Collectively, these influencers have amassed millions of views as teens and young adults get a glimpse into their daily lives.

They’re not just giving you packing lists, they’re shedding light on all aspects of the college process and experience that might not otherwise be available.

What are college influencers?

College-related content composes of a popular genre on social media platforms, particularly YouTube. The video-sharing platform has over 800,000 videos tagged with #college and thousands more tagged with #dorm, #backtoschool and #movein.

Nearly all influencers are current college students vlogging common college experiences, such as moving into a dorm or starting the first day of classes, or advising their followers on what to buy for their dorms (in videos known as hauls), what to wear to go out or how to handle academic stress.

Mia Aston, a rising junior at New York University, loved watching college videos on YouTube while she was in high school. She always dreamed of going to NYU and wanted to get an idea of what day-to-day life at the school looked like.

“I remember the ones that stuck out the most were the ones where people were showing move-in days and dorm tours or kind of weeks in their lives,” she said. “Those give me a good idea of what the living situation looks like and what how I might set up my room or what I would bring or kind of what study and social culture looks like at NYU.”

While there were many videos online, she said she quickly blew through the available content, motivating her to post regularly now that she’s a student.

Aston plans out videos ahead of time, deciding what days to film and roughly what she wants to cover. She’ll set up her camera, for instance, on the day she moves into her dorm or on a night out with her friends, then edit and post the video later, in between studying and classes.

Audrey Atienza is a rising senior at the University of Texas at Austin. She likes using YouTube for creating college-related content due to the longer video formats (as compared to TikTok, which caps videos at 10 minutes).

“I can really sit and talk to the camera and explain things way longer,” she said. “That's why a lot of people go to YouTube because they're looking for in-depth explanations [about] what to expect from college.”

What drives them to make content?

Some content creators amass thousands, if not millions of followers through college-related videos. However, that’s not always the motivator to begin making content.

Jae Ahn is a rising senior at Brown University. He’s been creating YouTube videos for the past two years.

Passionate about videography, he started the channel to document his life and describes it as a “digital diary that anyone can look at.”

“It really started as like a memento of wanting to kind of relive like my college life after I graduate or want to have kids and show them, ‘Oh, this is like what my life was like,’” he said.

Lexi Poole recently graduated from Lehigh University and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She’s transitioned from making college content to a series she calls the “Postgrad Diaries” to help other recent grads navigate their futures.

She remembers firsthand how scary the transition to college can be and said she hopes she can serve, not just as an entertainer, but as a relatable figure to her followers.

“It's the first time that they're far away from home or off on their own and that can just be stressful and anxiety-inducing and daunting in itself,” she said. “To be able to see that part of your life through someone else's lens, whether it's the summer before you go, whether you're in middle school or whether you're in college and struggling and just want somebody to relate to, I think that's very helpful.”

Poole said by her junior year, first-year students would approach and say her vlogging inspired them to apply to Lehigh University. Some told her “I’m here because of you!”

“I still pinch myself every day,” she said.

Providing transparency, authenticity and advice

Universities typically provide an array of resources for potential and admitted students, including tours and admission sessions. But current students are uniquely positioned to share their full and honest experiences about their college experience.

Lexi Vee attends an HBCU in Alabama and she’s been making content long before starting college. She describes her content as “realistic” which she said her audience appreciates.

“I've definitely been trying to discover who I really am so I think that's also something my audience might be going through,” she said.

Ahn said it’s important to him to be open about stress and mental health-related issues on his channel.

Especially for incoming college students, there’s extra pressure to fit a specific mold of a happy and active college student. He’s found comfort in sharing his struggles online and appreciated building connections among his followers over the good and the bad.

“College isn't always sunshine and rainbows, there's really tough parts to it,” he said. “So shedding light on that and people connecting to it, and knowing that those emotions are real and valid, I think is my definition of success.”

Poole talked about being vulnerable to her followers, particularly about her experiences with racism at Lehigh, a predominately white institution.

“I thought it could add value to the platform for me to share my experience as a Black woman, this small PWI (predominantly white institution),” she said. “ I definitely wanted to be able to provide nuance and just be transparent about my experiences, whether they were good or bad.”

The more honest she became on her channel, the more direct messages and comments she received from her viewers, saying they were able to connect or shared similar experiences.

Poole said it’s often easier for content creators to simply focus on the positive. She values depth and knows her followers do as well.

“Being vulnerable and opening up can give you time to process and also it can help somebody across the world or across the nation realize that they're not alone, which is something that I really valued,” she said.

Advice for incoming freshmen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College YouTube influencers Lexi Poole, Audrey Atienza share advice