In the past before Facebook and social media ruled the internet there were two options when finding a roommate for college. The choices you had were to 1) already know your roommate, 2) or going potluck.

Colleges across the country now foster a new type of roommate search, through Facebook. This new type of roommate search is specifically geared toward the generation which communicates largely through social media. This new development could be viewed as both a good thing and a bad thing depending on a person’s stance and presence on social media. Obviously those who don’t have a facebook are at a disadvantage, missing out on meeting new people through the class group and on possible roommates. Where this new form of communication can also be seen as a disadvantage is that sometimes students who aren’t going to the specific college troll the page making up false stories and telling false intentions about attending that school.

Going potluck as a freshman for decades has been the only option other than knowing your roommate before hand. This was an option that fostered new friendships and if it didn’t go as planned, there are comical stories that help to lighten the load of freshman year of college. With the practice of going potluck seemingly on the outs in schools, especially smaller ones, the possibility for branching out and meeting new people is limited to the people you type cast on Facebook. When emerging college students only stick to social media as a platform to find a roommate a whole new level of judging a book by its cover comes into play, as upon initial viewing a person’s Facebook page the first thing a person sees is a potential roommate’s looks.

College is all about meeting new people and experiencing new things. So, when a your roommate decision is so heavily based on the appearance of a persons social media sites something essential can be lost in the first year college experience.