COLUMBIA, S.C. — When they're not writing papers, or hanging out with friends, these three University of South Carolina students are increasing their social media presence, reaching thousands - or even millions - of followers.
At 19 years old, Sydney Herz has amassed over 1.3 million followers on TikTok and another half a million Instagram followers. The Maryland native said she started gaining a following back in grade school using the app Music.ly. She later moved to TikTok and YouTube, posting music, gymnastic, and lip-syncing videos.
"It baffles me, and it also grounds me and humbles me to really realize I do have an influence on that many people, so I have to be authentic," she said.
She said that authenticity led her to continue using her social media influence in college. Heading into her sophomore year at USC, she said it's been a way to relate her life with other college students and share her love for sports.
"I did a few things with the baseball team and the people that I worked with, and my roommates, people loved seeing that," Herz said. "So, I think, with the balance of school and life, I try to put them together with social media. It's almost like my school and my life is what I put on social media."
Social media is also a huge part of Emma Connelly's life. She's in her sophomore year at USC and was crowned Miss Greater Greer.
"I post for my community service events there; I also do things like 'Motivational Monday,' where I post motivational quotes to get people going at the beginning of the week, and I also do what's called 'Share your Service Sundays,'" she said.
As a journalism student, Connelly also uses social media to get practical, hands-on experience with her career.
"They want to see you posting the headlines and interacting with the community as a news host, so already developing that," Connelly said. "Whenever I make videos for Student Gamecock Television, I reshare them on my social media pages, talk about what I'm talking about because it's important that people stay informed even with the changing media."
For Jordan Lewis, social media has been an important tool after being crowned Miss Gamecock. Now, she hosts a podcast with her childhood best friend and uses her Instagram to post about community events and use it to learn about the corporate world.
Understanding the power of social media, she uses her platform to spread awareness and be an advocate.
"In February, I posted every single day for Black History Month," Lewis said. "I was trying to show more Black influential leaders that are not the typical people. I focused on people specifically in South Carolina, pageant, title holders, politicians,"
She said she tries to be a role model for young women and reminds them to be themselves.
"It's easy when you think about the people that are interacting with you and that people don't expect perfection," she said. "That's something I like about social media, especially TIktok, people love to see your most authentic self."