How Many Platforms are Too Many?

Incoming first-year college freshmen are members of Generation Z, a demographic cohort who are especially unique for their frequent use of the internet and social media as tools of communication.  Though they may love to use Twitter to get their news, Instagram to record their daily video blogs, and TikTok for their comedy, joining Frostburg’s campus has them wondering: how many platforms are too many?

“I’m just now starting to get used to college,” first-year Olajuwon Anderson mentioned.

Indeed, coming to campus for the first time is bewildering. There’s the roommate that you’ve never met before, a cafeteria that doesn’t cook like mom, and a building whose name toggles between the Gira Center and CCIT. Add to that between seven and nine new platforms, which you must rapidly become familiar with, accompanied by a slew of emails constantly reminding you to set up your new account, and it’s not long before the dread sets in.

“I don’t think I have received enough tutorials or assistance with the use of the platforms,” first-year Naudia Smith said. “I don’t know how to navigate through them or what exactly they are all used for.”

There’s Canvas for your classes, PAWS for your finances and registration, Beacon to connect to your success network, and Portfolium to start building your online resume and earn digital badges. You’re encouraged to join Handshake for internships, Bobcat Connect for club meeting times, and LinkedIn for connecting with potential job contacts and FSU President Nowaczyk who emailed the campus community earlier this semester to encourage students to add him to his network. It doesn’t stop there. Freshmen might also encounter Web Tutor, Lynda, and the on-campus housing portal.

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors certainly remember the emails about joining Pacifica, an app designed to support mental health which was touted as an improvement to address the under-staffing at the Counseling and Psychological Services office (CAPS) on campus. The tool was supplemented by a 6-week workshop series lead by CAPS counselor Andrea Emerick in Spring 2019. Then, in June 2019, Pacifica was acquired by Sanvello Health according to the application’s website, and as fast as it came to campus, it was gone.

Orientation teachers are struggling to keep up too. A non-tenure faculty member who asked to be kept anonymous because of their contractual status and who teaches an incoming cohort of first-years each fall semester says, “We simply don’t have enough time to provide a crash course through each of these apps, especially when you consider that we don’t use many of these apps as teachers.”

Not all first-years are overwhelmed, however. Student Daniel Hernandez reports that he “is accustomed to learning new, independent tools like Google Classroom or ways to check grades.” As a Gen Z, Hernandez points to the rise and fall in popularity of apps which has made his generation more flexible. Hernandez does admit, “I only really use Microsoft Outlook and Canvas, though. I know I’ll have to use PAWS and others more in the future, and that I’m not too excited about.”

Our collective future is digital. In response to Gen Z’s entrance into the workplace, many employers are offering flexible schedules, open offices, and teleworking.

Amy Bielski, Frostburg alumni, and CEO/President of Ripple Effect welcomes the challenge, “I can’t wait to see what Gen Z throws at me and how I can overcome those challenges in the workplace.”

However, educating the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers requires us to tread lightly. Indeed, when Mark Zuckerburg testified to Congress last week, we all wondered if Facebook’s terms and conditions gave up too much of our privacy. Moreover, the near-daily news headlines about data breaches and the resulting class-action lawsuits can make users wary. As TBL reported earlier this semester, there are similar concerns about Portfolium and if it protects a student’s intellectual property. Therefore, educating students on the implications of their cyber-activity is equally as important as educating them about the benefits of these platforms.

Unfortunately, this accompanying education is lacking. “I wouldn’t even know where to find the Terms and Conditions for most platforms,” says Smith.

Applications and platforms have their benefits, of course. The digital age has brought us increased safety in the way of Burg Alerts. Library research is a breeze thanks to online cataloging, freeing students up to delve deeper into topics and make revolutionary new finds.

Yet still, we find ourselves asking, how many platforms are too many?