The Audience is the Channel

Why the future of university communication isn’t about what we say, but about who we empower to speak.

Members of the University of the Free State (UFS) digital student experience platform, KovsieX, in the field creating content for the university.

Here’s a thought that might be uncomfortable for university marketers and communication professionals: Our most effective, trusted, and resonant communication channel may not be our own.

For decades, we’ve operated under a broadcast model. We craft the perfect message and push it out through our official channels, our websites, our social media profiles, and our brochures.

Sme of us have meticulously followed the advice of Canadian theorist Marshall McLuhan, who famously said,

“The medium is the message.”

We’ve focused on mastering the platforms.

But what if the platforms are no longer the most important part of the equation? In 2025, I propose a new mantra for higher education:

“The audience is the channel.”

The Data Doesn’t Lie

This isn’t just a theoretical shift. We recently conducted a student media consumption survey at the University of the Free State (UFS), and the results pointed to a fascinating convergence. When we asked what type of content students wanted to see more of from the university, the answer was overwhelming: 70% of respondents selected “Student Spotlights.”

But the real insight was in the qualitative data. Their written feedback was filled with pleas to see the “realistic” and “day-in-the-life” experiences of their peers. They’re tired of the polish. They want to see the authentic, sometimes messy, and ultimately more relatable stories of the students who walk the same paths they do.

The most resonant, believable, and influential storytellers on any given campus are the students themselves.

The Strategic Shift: From Broadcast to Facilitation

This conclusion has profound strategic implications. It suggests a fundamental pivot from a model where the university talks to students to one where the university facilitates students talking to each other.

Our role is evolving from content creator to community empowerer.

What does this look like in practice?

• Empowering Trained Ambassadors: Moving beyond simple social media takeovers to equipping a team of student creators with the training, tools, and creative freedom to tell the university’s story from their perspective.

• Building Peer-to-Peer Platforms: Creating spaces where prospective students can connect directly with current students to ask unfiltered questions about everything from the best coffee on campus to the toughest course in their major.

• Curating User-Generated Content: Actively seeking out and celebrating the incredible content students are already creating, making our official channels a showcase for their authentic experiences rather than a monologue from the institution.

This isn’t about losing control of the narrative. It’s about recognising that we never truly had it in the first place. The real conversations about our institutions have always happened between peers.

Empowering students to be the channel isn’t just a scalable tactic to get more authentic content; it’s likely the only remaining path to earning the trust of the Gen Z audience we serve.

Perhaps it’s time for all of us to dive in and see what happens.