Xiang Jinyu, 22, a Marketing and Online Media student at Curtin University in Singapore, is quietly browsing her Instagram account in a corner of a coffee shop, carefully selecting and beautifying her photos. Every detail, from expressions, outfits, angles to lighting, requires meticulous scrutiny. She earnestly explains: “My homepage is a platform to show myself to more people … every photo and post proves who I want to show to others and what I want others to see of me.”
With the rapid development of the internet, an increasing number of university students are using social media to build their personal brands. They believe that exposure on social media can help them secure more opportunities. Today, social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and Xiaohongshu, are no longer merely tools for social interaction. They are rapidly evolving into new visual platforms for disseminating creative content and promoting niche brands. For recruiters, social media often serves as the first point of reference for employers to assess an individual.
The shaping of one’s image on social media has led to an increasingly blurred line between college students’ personal and professional lives. How much of the content they post online reflects their true selves, and how much is a version of who they aspire to be?
Lei Mi, a 30-year-old media teacher who graduated from the University of Sydney, has noticed that students are increasingly concerned about their online image. “They have finally realised that social media is not only a tool for sharing life but also a way to shape their personal image,” she says. She encourages her students to showcase their skills more frequently on social media platforms, believing that it will offer them opportunities.
At first, Ms Xiang didn’t consider the impact of posting her own photos on her future career. “At the beginning, I posted the photos just because I wanted to look more stylish and showcase various styles,” she reflects. “I liked photos with various retro styles and an atmosphere.” As her account gained more and more attention at the beginning of last year, she noticed that many girls came to ask her about makeup techniques and outfit suggestions. “It was from that time that I realised people could see many interesting and meaningful things in my posts.”
She began to take this account more seriously, paying attention to the overall colour scheme, lighting and composition visually. Every post of hers showcases her clothing and serves as a platform to reveal her inner world. “I pay great attention to my own feelings and won’t follow the trend or imitate others just because it’s popular. Instead, I will choose the way I truly like.”
Her seriousness was also reciprocated. A small clothing store in Bugis, Singapore, contacted her after seeing her Xiaohongshu page, inviting her to try on their new collection. Once, a brand appreciated the Polaroid photos she posted and hoped she could accept a paid promotion. “Although the collaboration didn’t succeed in the end, it made me realise that the image maintained on social media platforms can be recognised in the professional market.”
The experience described by Ms Xiang is quite common nowadays. Many professional media scholars believe that this kind of image construction is part of how young people establish their personal identities. According to research published by Alexandra Vitelar in the journal Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy in 2013, shaping a personal brand on social media and presenting oneself as a valuable marketable image is an important tool for young people to achieve success nowadays. Moreover, according to the 2015 book Investigating a Global Phenomenon by Theresa Senft and N.K. Baym, young people who post photos on social media platforms always show the self they want to express or the person they want to become.
Accounts as resumes
Constance Goh, Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies at Curtin Singapore, said she can deeply relate to this obvious change. “Recently, more and more students have come to me to discuss their career development plans and will show me their social media accounts,” she explained. “Previously, we mainly used paper resumes. Now, your resumes are more like: This is my Instagram homepage.”
Ms Goh was not surprised by this change. “I have always encouraged them to create their own social media accounts, especially for students in the media field. Your online image is the basis for the human resources department to assess your abilities in the future. Thinking and posting excellent content can cultivate your editing skills, content design skills, and sensitivity to the trending topics.”
Ms Lei gave an example from one of her former students: “I had a student before who is currently studying at a girls’ school in the United States. She posts about her equestrian competitions, learning experiences on Instagram, and also runs a public account to speak up for women. Her content was noticed by the school, and not only did she win awards, but she also received the recommendation qualification for Ivy League schools.”
But Ms Lei also seriously cautioned that young students to be aware of the boundaries of social media platforms. “You can post the interesting information you want to show, but you also need to consider that your future boss and your clients will pay attention to your account and use your social media platform as a means to evaluate you.”
However, this could lead to a persistent state of anxiety. Ms Xiang said: “I did worry about what others thought of me. For instance, they might think I’m pretentious or like to dress up. But soon I realised that I wasn’t doing this to please anyone. We should face and respect our own desire to express and our own aesthetic ability.”
Ms Goh believes that in the future, the value of the “digital self” will surpass that of traditional paper resumes. For instance, in the media industry, the ability to create and edit content, as well as the ability to have forward-looking understanding of media trends, can all be demonstrated through social media.
This phenomenon has also been supported by data. According to a report by Channel News Asian in 2022, in the United States, 70% of employers will review the social media information of job applicants during the recruitment process, especially for platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Ms Xiang believes that this is not merely a way to showcase her external image. Through managing her personal account, she has achieved a stronger self with more capabilities and accomplishments. She reflects, “By managing the social media account, I learned how to take photos, edit them, select background music, and write copy. If I were to apply for a media job like this, I would naturally show my account to the recruiters without hesitation.”
Ms Xiang finishes her last sip of coffee and browses through the posts she has just published. In this day and age, where one can keep track of anyone at any time, it is an important skill to be able use your own style and characteristics to make yourself stand out among countless strangers. But it can also be hard to determine if this is just for work, or something she truly desires from the bottom of her heart.
