Freshers’ phone decorum

Whether it’s in lectures, halls of residence, or on a night out, university Fresher’s Week is all about forging new friendships. And in 2016 it’s online friendships that count – with new research from Three UK revealing that the average fresher student adds more than 23 friends to Facebook in their first two weeks of university, more than any other time of their life.

To help students in their quest for online popularity and to demystify the multiple methods of communication now available to students – whether that’s WhatsApp, Facebook, text or Snapchat – Three UK surveyed 1,000 students to create the 10 phone commandments of Freshers’ Week to increase the chances of making friends.

So what sort of social media decorum do this year’s batch of freshers need to keep in mind for 2016?

1.    DON’T send a friend request until you’ve known someone for more than a day

2.    DO wait two weeks before using an ‘x’ at the end of a text message, said 76% of students

3.    DON’T use a dating app in your first two weeks at university, according to 94% of students

4.    DO wait an hour before accepting someone’s friend request to avoid looking too keen, said over two thirds (65%) of students

5.    DO wait a day before asking for someone’s phone number, according to the majority of students (74%)

6.    DO use social media to find out about what’s going on around campus, said half of students (52%)

7.    DON’T post pointless status updates and refrain from ‘over sharing’ as you’re likely to lose friends on social media, said half of students

8.    DO use Facebook Messenger to arrange meet ups with new friends just as 76% of students do but DON’T use twitter (said 4%)

9.    DO choose an iPhone as your smartphone of choice to fit in with 52% of students  

The report also revealed it’s crucial to pick your friends carefully this Fresher’s Week. Whilst the average fresher adds more than 23 ‘friends’ to their Facebook during their opening weeks of university, the majority (56%) admitted they currently speak to five or less of those they digitally befriended, with 12% saying they don’t stay in touch with any at all. 60% meanwhile even confessed to deleting people they’d previously added due to no longer being in contact with them.

Jolene Sickelmore, head of communications and execution at Three said: “We appreciate that Fresher’s Week, while being a lot of fun, can also be a daunting experience, as you leave home for the first time and embark on making a whole new group of friends. Smart phones now play such an integral role during this time, with social media and apps ruling the way we communicate.

We want to provide students starting uni this September with a guide on how to master making friends based on the experience of past freshers, so they can avoid the pitfalls of phone etiquette.”

 – ENDS –