Over the past few years, social media has given rise to a trend known as "Studyblr" or "Studygram." Unlike many other social media trends that promote fashion, music, or celebrities, this trend celebrates academia. It sounds like a very positive premise, but with the nature of social media is comes with its own consequences. An inumerable amount of teens all over the world have started Tumblr pages, Instagram accounts, Pinterest boards, or Blogs, dedicated to the Studyblr trend. This fad involves creating painstakingly neat, artsy, and colorful notes. Studyblr accounts are filled with photos of aesthetically pleasing notes, arrays of expensive stationary items, and lifestyle flatlays of the students' desks. Now there are even Youtubers who make videos dedicated to Studyblr topics.
This fad promotes studying and note taking. Giving students the ulterior motive of internet fame, followers, and likes, makes the mundane task of note taking seem worth it. Starting a Study account places an accountability on the student to produce eye candy notes and post them regularly to keep up with the fast paced alogrithms of social media sites. Everyone is well aware that social media is addictive, many people would go to great lengths for more followers and likes. Adding this addictive component to academia fuels even the procrastinators to end up studying. From this light, the trend is positive and productive. Its like giving a kid candy to coax them into getting their homework done. The regular routine of taking notes and then rewriting that information into prettier, cohesive, and artsy notes aids in memory, retention, and learning.
On the other hand, social media always comes with a price. Creating a studyblr account can also foster competition and hastiness. Its very easy to get caught up in the fad and lose sight of academic goals. Many Studyblr fanatic students have fallen into the pattern of being obsessive over their notes. They end up nitpicking at the visual details of their notes, such as the handwriting or diagrams. If it is not perfect, they feel the compulsion to make a new batch of notes. This compulsion is fueled by seeing other Studyblr/Studygram accounts' perfect and inhumanly neat notes. Its the same principle as girls comparing their bodies to Instagram models, except now its with the level of pretty your notes are. This becomes an endless cycle, where learning becomes a backseat priority and the photography and aesthetics of the notes becomes urgent. Many students with study accounts have had to quit down the line because this issue was causing their grades to tank.
Another dilemma brought up by this social media studying trend is consumerism. Its no secret that Studyblr/Studygram accounts spend a lofty amount on stationry. Nearly all popular study accounts have expensive Moleskine notebooks, Zebra Mildliner highlighters, and Muji gel pens. Students who end up joining this trend end up forking over copious amounts of money to buy fancy colored pens, brush pens, decorative tapes, stamps, fancy notebookes, and even Ipad Pros to level their playing field with the larger study accounts. Images featuring these expensive stationary items have become iconic and typically images without these staple items do not fare well on social media.
Starting a Studyblr or Studygram is not inherently bad. In fact it is a productive hobby to pick up. But it is imperative to be careful and not let numbers and likes drive your academic progress. Comparing your account to other immaculate accounts is also very harmful. Striving for perfection in every minute detail is a waste of precious study time. Handwriting is a humanly skill, your handwriting will never be as flawless as a computer's. Yes, there are huge study accounts with notes that encompass the most perfect handwritings, but those notes took hours to make. Sitting there and etching out every letter slowly for evenness and symmetry defeats the purpose of studying in the first place. Just make sure to make your notes neat, organized, and legible. Add some color or illustrations for fun. But, do not strive for perfection in your notes. Strive for perfection in your academic goals!
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