Safe Social Is Why Higher Ed Gets Ignored

Let’s keep it real: Higher education has a reputation for moving slow as molasses and playing it safe when it comes to social media. A higher ed social post gets passed around for approvals and polished until it barely sounds human. And by the time it’s live, the moment has already passed.

But students don’t live like that. Their feeds move fast. The conversations they’re having change by the hour. If you’re not there when it happens, you’ve already missed your shot.

That’s why Northeastern University’s move stood out to me.

Olandria Carthen, the “diamond” of Love Island season 7, hopped on TikTok Live with her partner Nicolas Vansteenberghe for a casual Q&A with fans. She mentioned the six-month co-op she completed before starting her career in reality TV. Northeastern’s team jumped on the moment, quickly turned it into a post about their own co-op program — and it blew up: 1 million views, 15.7K likes, and 300+ comments.

Why did this go viral?

• Cultural relevance. Northeastern tapped into a moment the whole world was already buzzing about. When you show up in conversations people are already invested in, your content has momentum before you even hit publish.
• Authenticity. The exchange between Carthen and Vansteenberghe wasn’t staged, and that’s exactly why it landed. Social audiences can smell manufactured content a mile away — what sticks is when it feels real.
• Audience alignment. The Love Island crowd lines up almost perfectly with Northeastern’s prospective students. They didn’t need context or explanation; they just got it. And that resonance is what makes content travel.

This is what so many miss when it comes to higher ed social. Cultural moments aren’t a distraction from your brand. They’re one of the clearest ways to show students you’re relevant. A polished press release won’t do that. What does? Proof that you’re paying attention to their world and finding ways to connect your story to it.

And no, that doesn’t mean chasing every viral trend. It means knowing which conversations matter to your audience and being brave enough to show up in them. That’s what makes a brand feel alive.

When institutions use social media the way Northeastern did — fearlessly, authentically, and with culture in mind — they show prospective students they’re tapped in.

A few tips if you’re looking to be fearless on higher ed social:

• Have your ears to the streets. Pay attention to what students are laughing at, sharing, and talking about right now. That’s where the best ideas come from.
• Don’t overthink it. Social moves fast. If you wait for the perfect copy or five rounds of approvals, the window’s already closed. Scrappy often wins.
• Keep the student first. The reason Northeastern’s post landed is simple: It came through a voice students could see themselves in. That kind of relatability will always travel farther than institutional polish.

And that’s how you win the visibility game with prospective students. So let me ask you this: If Northeastern can pull up to the Love Island villa and win big, what’s stopping your institution from doing the same?

The conversations that matter to students are already happening, with or without you. When you show up with confidence, you’re proving that your institution belongs in their world.