“When’s the callout?” That was a question someone asked in a club’s Slack channel two days after we publicized the call-out meeting on Instagram. At first, I was confused. All officers and several members had reposted the callout information on their stories, and the post quickly garnered over 100 likes. If there are still people asking about the call-out meeting, did we not promote it enough? And then I remembered—we forgot to promote the callout information in Slack.

As a club officer who is always active on Instagram, I admit I often forget that not everyone has social media. Despite the narratives about teens’ addiction to their phones prevalent in today’s media, according to the Pew Research Center, only 50% of teens visit Instagram daily. Even for people with Instagram, it is easy to miss a club’s post or story in the never-ending number of photos and stories posted every day. I know I have accidentally scrolled past a club’s meeting information. Also, Instagram doesn’t send real-time notifications when an account posts, so for people like me who are forgetful, forgetting a meeting’s date is a common occurrence. And still, there are clubs that only use Instagram to communicate meeting information, a seemingly trivial detail that ostracizes those without social media. 

“Why can’t people just get an Instagram account?” That was a question I wondered, too. However, we have to take into consideration the students who don’t want or aren’t allowed to be on social media. For example, a poll by the Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago found that 65% of teens taking a break from social media did so voluntarily, reporting feeling overwhelmed and overloaded. Another 38% said their break was involuntary and said their parents took their device.

The solution? Clubs should consider using alternative platforms like Remind, Slack, or Discord to communicate with members. All three platforms send notifications to the user’s phone real-time when a club makes an announcement. Instagram does not. Slack and Discord also allow club members to talk to each other and ask questions in dedicated spaces called “channels,” creating a tight-knit club community. 

This is not to say that clubs should stop using Instagram and only use Remind or Slack. Instagram is a great platform to connect with new people, post pictures and market your club—features that Remind, Slack, and Discord lack. However, it’s important to make sure everyone, including those who don’t have social media, has access to club information. After all, the people involved are what makes a club a club.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Lorna Ding at [email protected].