Just a few minutes before classes start at 11 a.m., a few SCAD students in the elevator have their eyes glued to machines the size of a deck of cards, with screens displaying tiny text. The students’ thumbs move at feverish speeds, scrolling through tweets or updating their statuses.
In the Hub, a group of students looks at photos on one person’s iPhone and share a laugh.
During a break session, students withdraw their cellphones from their pockets or purses and fiddle through applications.
The man behind SCAD’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, social media manager Jason Parker, tweets to keep students and staff in the loop about events at SCAD. At 5:04 p.m. Jan. 14, using under the screenname scaddotedu, Parker tweets “#SCAD Atlanta gallery hop starts now! http://yfrog.com/35296qj.”
Smartphones rarely get a moment of rest at SCAD.
“SCAD’s presence in social media channels allows us to reach our audience wherever they are,” said Parker.
With the explosive growth of social networking, SCAD is now able to take an active role in the community, Parker said. The university is able to participate in online conversations, solicite feedback, increase awareness about university news, events and student and alumni accomplishments.
“Tools like Twitter and Facebook, along with other mobile applications, also allow us to get urgent information out quickly in a variety of mediums,” said Parker. “These messages can then spread organically from person to person, keeping everyone better informed.”
In a recent post to SCAD’s Facebook fan page Jan. 24, Parker informed students about graduation and provided a link to the new commencement blog.
“I use Facebook and Twitter a lot,” said Daniel Plemmons, a third-year interactive design student. “I know SCAD has pushed a lot of social networking ideas in the last year.”
Plemmons said he uses the TweetDeck app for Twitter on his smartphone.
“I actually rarely use it at all on my computer now,” he said. “On Twitter, I follow about 70 to 80 accounts, some friends, but mostly people in the design industry, politicians and people who work in fields I’m interested in.”
“We are actively promoting the use of social media channels throughout SCAD and searching for the best methods and tools to benefit the SCAD community,” said Parker, adding that he is always open to suggestions to improve the use of social media.
“Our goal is to be a leader in the use of social media in higher education and we are well on our way,” Parker said.
And student goals? To stay connected.
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series on smartphone trends.