It’s that time of year again … time for some back to school shopping! Growing up, I loved picking out my first-day-of-school outfit. I’d set it out well before classes began to ensure I was kicking off the year with just the right look. Only my best friends had seen me for the past three months so here was my opportunity to dazzle my classmates with the “new” Lesley.

Okay, so in reality, I never changed much from one school year to the next, but for me, one of the most exciting parts of going back to school each fall was to take in all that had changed over summer break. Who’d cut their hair, who’d changed their style, who was dating whom, who had become BFFs. It was information overload!

 As I look back on those silly, yet significant, junior high and high school experiences, I can’t help but think how social media – Facbook in particular – impacts that “back to school” dynamic for students today.  

• CHECK-INS: We saw Bobby’s check-in at American Eagle and learned every detail of his purshase. We can pretty much predict what he’ll be wearing on the first day of class.
• PHOTOS: Suzy’s mobile upload allowed us to see her new “do” just seconds after she stepped out of the salon. And thanks to her caption and friends’ comments, we know that her mom doesn’t like it.
• RELATIONSHIP STATUS: We saw Suzy and Bobby’s relationship status go from “single” to “in a relationship” to “it’s complicated” back to “in a relationship,” so we get the gist.
• LIKES: We see Sally “likes” every local dance school, as well as numerous dance competitions and a prestigious college’s dance program, so we can guess how she spent her summer.

Facebook, as well as other online communities, can (of course!) greatly enhance students’ opportunities to connect and learn, but I feel lucky to have experienced “first day of class” anticipation the old fashioned way, before social media changed the rules of going back to school.