By Ava Burchell, Staff Writer
The Digital Age is a brand new club at Gettysburg College focused on the creative side of business and marketing, especially through social media and photography. It was created by club president Michaela Carroll ’25 in the fall of 2023, and its meetings began in spring 2024.
Carroll said that the club’s mission statement is to “develop members’ creativity channeling in on graphics and photography for social media. We will strive to create an enriching environment focused on marketing and advertising job roles in the workforce.”
This club was created to fill a gap in the organizations and courses that Gettysburg College has to offer.
“As an aspiring marketer, I joined the Gettysburg Business Club but quickly learned the club focused on jobs like insurance and accounting,” said Carroll. “I wanted to learn about the creative side of business, like brand strategists and marketers. With no specific club for marketing and only one marketing class at Gettysburg, I took matters into my own hands and created The Digital Age.”
Founder and President of the Digital Age Michaela Carroll ’25 (Photo Sofia Gutierrez/The Gettysburgian)
Carroll believes that The Digital Age is an appealing extracurricular for a broad array of students.
“No matter if you are interested in making graphics, learning about PR or like taking photos, there is a space for you in this club. You can learn how to market a business, or even better, learn to market yourself through resume building,” said Carroll.
Despite the club’s enticing events and social media presence, the club has faced some challenges getting off the ground, especially in the middle of the school year.
“The biggest challenge of starting a club in the spring semester is getting members to join! The fall activities fair is much bigger so advertising for our club has been limiting,” said Carroll.
The club has already had some events to teach students more about the careers available to them in digital marketing. Their first guest speaker was Ryan Bonner ’14, a Gettysburg alumnus who is a freelance brand strategist and copywriter. They have also started a strategic collaboration with many of the college’s sports teams.
“Previously, we collaborated with Gettysburg College Athletics to pair club members with sports teams interested in elevating their social media pages,” said Carroll.
The club is planning to host more guest speakers in the future as well. Eric Lee ’15, a photojournalist for St. Louis Public Radio, will speak with the club to share his knowledge and experience. Additionally, Head of Marketing at Signify Jennifer Pena will speak at a meeting and do a giveaway for attendees. The club also looks forward to doing the media coverage for the Fashion Club’s Runway Show in April.
Additionally, members have been encouraged to use their creative ideas to make improvements to the club itself.
“We are in the works of planning a ‘rebranding’ [of] our own club allowing members to brainstorm and create logos, brand identity, and a pitch deck for the social media of The Digital Age,” said Carroll.
This club’s mission will remain impactful as the internet becomes more influential for businesses and individuals. Students who participate in this club can gain valuable experience that is in high demand in the workforce.
“With social media evolving, it is important in the current job market to understand ‘The Digital Age’ that we are in,” Carroll said. “Social media is becoming a business and the sooner we understand the business the better shape we are in for the future!”
Students interested in this club can obtain more information by following their Instagram account @d.igitalage. Additionally, students can join The Digital Age’s GroupMe using the link in their Instagram account’s bio.
This article originally appeared on page 6 of the April 2024 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
