A friend of a friend posts on Facebook that they earned a 3.5 this past semester — do you really care? Or maybe your parents post about how well you are doing in school without telling you first. As social media becomes the most common way to communicate with a large group of people, dashboards and news feeds are hotspots for instant updates on news, personal or worldwide.
Whatever someone finds share-worthy, a status or tweet will consequently follow. Personal feats, such as grades, are a topic of interest, especially when the semester comes to an end. However, is it really appropriate to post grades online? That is what I am trying to decide.
Those who post their grades on Facebook are looking for recognition. And yes, they earned it! If those late-night cram sessions or papers that were written in blood and tears led to an impressive GPA, there is reason to celebrate. Yet the degree of irritation unleashed onto Facebook friends or followers varies depending on how you word it and who your audience is.
If I post my last semester’s cumulative GPA on Facebook, there are three potential responses to my status. What I am hoping for is the easiest response: indifference. The fact that someone might read it and move on is enough for me. You recognized my accomplishment and moved on with your day; maybe you even liked my status to show me you read it. In a perfect world, that would be the response that I would prefer.
There is always the familial praise outcome that occurs, too. Sometimes, parents will see their child made the dean’s list and proudly post about it. When that happens, you partly blush in appreciation and partly blush because your parents are doing the parent thing. You are not necessarily embarrassed, but the feeling parallels the feeling of when your parents cheered you on from the sidelines of your game or yelled your name at your dance recital. This response is always a good one, too, even if it is more recognition than you were planning on bringing to your grades.
On the pessimistic side of the spectrum, there will be those Facebook friends who will utterly loathe you for the GPA post. Maybe they are not happy with their GPA, even though they slaved over their papers and tests. Perhaps they feel as though you are gloating and blatantly stating how much better you are than them. Regardless, they may have ended up with a sub-par GPA and now, you ticked them off.
But these three responses fall on a large social media spectrum of feelings. Personally, I lean more towards an indifferent/bitter side, and there are a few reasons why. First and foremost, grades are battle wounds of past classes. Classes vary in levels of difficulty, and are taught by different professors with different tactics. Someone who is more of a tactile or visual learner might do poorly in a lecture-based class. Through no fault of their own, students who are not compatible with the way a certain professor teaches could struggle throughout the class. Thus, their final GPA may not match those of students who are more auditory learners. The same could be said about how different students retain different things, have different study tactics or overall have a knack for academics. Those who struggle more could feel ostracized if another person posts about how he or she did.
I would say the same thing about athletic achievements. Different athletes have different bodies, different personal goals, etc. By posting how well you did, there is a possibility that other athletes will be discouraged because they are not progressing as quickly as someone else. Athletic and academic accomplishments deserve recognition and praise; I am not belittling either in the slightest. It is the way of notifying your Facebook friends and the response to the notification of the achievement that worries me.
Our society bases its perception of success on healthy competition — a free market way of life. All of that seems fair in theory, but when the definition of a “successful” career depends heavily on academics and education, those who are less school-smart are penalized. And those attempting the academic route feel pressure to excel and get the highest GPA attainable. Sometimes, though, that is not in their metaphorical cards. Students attempt to earn a high GPA, but when they do not reach their goal, they become discouraged. That disappointment only worsens when someone posts about how well they did. It is a bitter cycle of struggle and discontentment.
Ultimately, tone is key. The way a person conveys their excitement about their achievements determines the sort of response it will receive. Perhaps leaving out the exact GPA will prevent others from comparing theirs to yours, or simply expressing your happiness towards your grades will be sufficient. It is hard to judge who will be hurt or happy because it is hard to determine a definite line between appropriate and boasting. If you choose to walk that blurred line, tread lightly; remember your audience, because you never know if you will receive a round of applause or a round of rotten remarks. Regardless, we all succeed in our own ways, academically or not. Even if you are on the viewing end of that post, remember that you are successful, too.
