Every now and then, lightning strikes.

The Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity received a jolt during its annual review of its media engagement this year.

It turns out, the office has a community of supporters on Facebook that has been actively sharing our articles and announcements, even though the office did not have an official presence on the platform. Now that we know this, we’ve established a page on Facebook and invite you to join us. Find us at fb.me/NCStateOIED, be sure to “like” our page and follow us to share our news and refer us to friends and colleagues.

Reports of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

Mark Twain once wrote “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” after the New York Journal mistakenly published his obituary. Ever since, the quote has come in handy to refute premature claims of death, such as those that formerly dogged Facebook.

Instead of declining as once predicted, Facebook has held steady for the past two years, with 68% of all Americans using the platform, according to the Pew Research Center’s Social Media Use in 2018 report.

Pew also documents the huge growth of Instagram during the same period in the U.S., particularly for the 18-24 age demographic represented by 75% of NC State’s student population. Twitter follows behind YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram but still has a significant share of U.S. users. (Follow OIED on Instagram and follow OIED on Twitter too.)

The graph below illustrates the large proportion of OIED’s Facebook activity for 2018-19.

You showed us, and we noticed.

Elizabeth Snively writes for the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity.