Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book sets the digital scene by broadly describing college students’ experiences with and perceptions about social media, as well as the social norms that guide their behavior on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook. It explores the mandate expressed by college students to appear upbeat, happy, and excited online. The chapter explores the extent to which social media came to serve a different purpose for college students when it became their only, or at least, primary way of interacting with friends. It discusses social norms that guide online behavior and the complexity of students’ experiences with social media. The chapter discusses the broader implications of findings and possible directions for future ethnographic research on this topic.