"Whoever runs Rowan’s social media definitely has their eyes on what’s hot, both on campus and the pop culture world beyond." (@rowanuniversity on Instagram)
In the past couple of years, Rowan University has really stepped up their social media game from doing signature Man On The Street interviews, to the now infamous “campus influencers” like “Regina At Rowan,” and “Ed and Em Eats,” and even making a post with a Rowan Lababu. Whoever runs Rowan’s social media definitely has their eyes on what’s hot, both on campus and in the pop culture world beyond.
I think the two biggest indications of this were when Rowan posted a picture of our mascot, “Whoo-R-u,” in the “Love Island” villa during the “Love Island” season, and more recently, a mere hours after Taylor Swift announced her engagement. Rowan posted a photo of our mascot holding a sign of the couple’s engagement photos with the caption:
“He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring… and suddenly everyone’s majoring in Love Story.”
It was met with mixed reactions in the comments, with some praising it, saying they know they’re in the right place because the Prof is a Swiftie, while others thought that it was cringe, and even asked them to take it down.
I personally thought the post was cute and in good fun, and I honestly think we’re taking it too much at face value. Yes, it is a post of Taylor Swift’s engagement, but also, Taylor Swift is the biggest celebrity of all time. “Love Island” was the biggest show of the summer.
This is all strategic. Rowan is currently in what some would call a renaissance, with this being the second year in a row that Rowan has admitted its largest freshman class, and expansions and construction happening in every corner. It’s inevitable that social media gets the same facelift.
I think that people who aren’t in support of this change don’t realize that universities have become reliant on social media to bring enrollment up, and Rowan is just another player in the game. They want to connect with the students who are already here and students of the future, and what better way to do that than with the hottest trends that are going on?
On the other hand, I can appreciate where people are coming from. People want genuine authenticity from the school, and when you try to mask it behind random social media trends, I can understand the frustration. Yet I don’t think they’re trying to be inauthentic. Just like everyone on this planet, they’re trying to put their best foot forward on social media.
I think the addition of pop culture posts adds a sense of awareness, and also shows that this is something run by Rowan students. It feels more genuine this way, rather than an independent public relations person making boring posts that would bring no engagement at all. These pop culture posts bring engagement to the point where we’re talking about Rowan’s Instagram in person.
So while you may think that Rowan’s commentary on pop culture is cringe or uncool, we have to remember that all of this is strategic and is made to get us talking. That means they’re doing their job correctly.
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