The Role Of Social Media in Building Personal Branding Among University Students

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the role of social media in building personal branding among polytechnic students. In today’s digital era, social media is not only used for communication and entertainment, but also as a platform for self-presentation and professional development. This research used a qualitative descriptive method involving eight students from the Electrical Engineering Department at Politeknik Negeri Sriwijaya. The participants consisted of students from semesters 2, 4, and 6 who actively used social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and social media observations. The findings showed that social media helps students improve communication skills, increase self-confidence, build professional relationships, and present their identities to wider audiences. In addition, consistency, creativity, and authenticity were found to be important factors in building personal branding through social media. Overall, social media provides many opportunities for polytechnic students to develop positive digital identities and support their future academic and professional careers.