Social Media Week
Each Spring, Kansas State University hosts K-State Social Media Week, bringing together students, educators, and industry professionals to provide insights and opportunities for maximizing the power of social media.
This event is planned and organized by the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication and the K-State Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs.
2025 Event Details
The 4th annual K-State Social Media Week is March 3 - 7, 2025. Events will be offered in a variety of formats, including in-person, online, and hybrid. All students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members are invited to attend events.
Once events have been finalized, attendees can register to attend individual events in K-State OrgCentral. Students who attend Social Media Week events have the opportunity to earn one of two $500 scholarships.
2024 Event Details
View our 2024 Schedule:
2024 Media Coverage:
WIBW: K-State Social Media Week to feature events in artificial intelligence, content creation
The K-State Collegian: K-State to host third annual social media week
Mission
This week-long event encourages students to explore the opportunities inherent in social media: to stay informed, explore new ideas, express themselves personally, and engage in discussion with others in their communities and around the world. Programming and events during #KStateSMW seek to provide students with the following skills, competencies and knowledge:
- Critically evaluate their own social media use in a rapidly changing world and diverse society.
- Recognize opportunities for proactive and collaborative digital communication that have the potential to benefit communities and inspire civic engagement.
- Practice critical thinking related to media, use problem solving skills to deconstruct content and collaborate to create content.
- Identify and analyze ethical and societal issues related to social media communication and emerging technology from multiple points of view.
- Understand the role social media plays in various industries and legal responsibilities related to participation in social media.
- Demonstrate resilience and personal well-being when faced with effects of social media use.
Get Involved
All units, departments, and organizations at Kansas State University are invited to take part in K-State Social Media Week. Send inquiries to Professor of Practice in the A.Q. Miller School, Jana Thomas.
Past Events
In the past two years of K-State Social Media Week, nearly 500 students registered and attended to learn more
about social media careers, personal branding and influencing, collaboration on social media, content creation, and more.
Hear from some of our event partners, collaborators, and attendees:
"Given the multitude of ways social media impacts not only college students’ lives but the world we all share together, taking a week to highlight and educate our K-State community about this powerful tool and topic seems especially relevant and timely. I’m excited the bar has been set high for future Social Media Weeks given the quality of presenters and variety of relevant presentation topics being offered during this year’s inaugural offering.”
- Thomas Lane, Vice President and Dean of Students, Kansas State University
“Coming back to K-State and sharing my work experience has been such a joy. I was once in students' shoes, so my work with K-State Social Media Week has been to motivate and inspire them as others did for me when I was a student.”
- Cameron Banning, Team Lead - Brand Partnerships Manager at TikTok, K-State Alumnus in Advertising & Public Relations
“Social media week provided me with tangible skills and workshop experience that will directly apply to my future work in industry. I had the opportunity to learn about both personal branding and life in the social media industry, two things that I don’t regularly learn about in the classroom. The talks I attended were great reminders that social media can be used to leverage good in a variety of industries, not just communications and marketing.”
- Ariana Brancato, Student in Advertising & Public Relations and Spanish
“With social media becoming an important part of society, I was excited for the opportunity to dive deeper. I attended the talk "Sports in the Time of Social Media: Athletes and Personal Branding" with Deuce Vaughn and Marisa Weichel. I left this event with a better understanding of how social media can directly affect students on campus, specifically student athletes. This was a very eye opening experience, and I'm glad that I took the opportunity to attend.”
- Erin Jackson, Student in Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work
“I enjoyed SMW so much, it was a lot of fun to hear about different ways to use social media in the most effective ways and analyze the data from that. I was also excited to learn about the social media management certificate and the applications that it could have.”
- Tanner Holte, Student in News & Sports Media
Prior media coverage:
Social Media Week tackles intentional use of evolving social media space (The Collegian)
K-State launches its first-ever Social Media Week (KMAN News Radio)
Campus Partners
