Should Universities Continue Advertising with TikTok, Meta, and Amazon?
?????Marty Davies ’ recent piece, The Struggle for True Allyship in an Industry That’s Gone Silent, is a stark and urgent reminder of how industries that once positioned themselves as progressive can fall into complacency. They highlight how allyship has become performative in many spaces, with organisations staying silent on issues that truly matter. This got me thinking about my own industry - UK higher education and the media agencies within it—and how, as an independent consultant, I can take a step back and objectively assess the world we find ourselves in.
We work in an industry that prides itself on inclusion, progress, and social responsibility. And yet, we continue to funnel advertising budgets into platforms that are increasingly taking positions antithetical to those values. That discomfort is something we need to confront.
The advertising landscape for UK universities has always been shaped by a delicate balance between commercial student recruitment imperatives and ethical considerations. But as platforms like TikTok, Meta, and Amazon take increasingly alarming steps to align themselves with right-wing political forces, university marketers are facing a question that cannot be ignored: should we continue investing in these platforms?
The Political Context
TikTok’s decision to name Donald Trump as a potential ally in pausing its US ban, Meta’s move to remove fact-checking on political posts in the US, and Amazon’s growing ties to right-wing lobbyists all signal a troubling shift. These platforms are becoming less accountable, more vulnerable to misinformation, and increasingly aligned with ideologies that many universities—historically bastions of progressivism and inclusion—actively oppose.
The Recruitment Reality
Over the years, universities have leaned increasingly on Google around A Level Results Day to fill their clearing targets. This growing reliance raises another ethical question: are we ensuring that the budgets we spend—effectively funded from students’ pockets—are being used responsibly?
UK universities are also in the grip of a funding crisis. Government support is dwindling, international student numbers are under pressure due to visa restrictions, and fierce competition means that every student matters more than ever. TikTok and Meta remain dominant in the digital advertising space, offering unrivalled access to prospective students. Amazon’s vast data ecosystem makes it an appealing partner for reaching audiences at scale.
So, do universities even have the luxury of an ethical stance when budgets are stretched so thin?
领英推荐
The Ethical Dilemma
As a queer, neurodivergent person with ADHD and dyspraxia, and an active ally to other marginalised communities, I can't ignore what these shifts mean for the very students universities claim to champion. These platforms have been repeatedly called out for enabling hate speech, algorithmic bias, and data exploitation.
By continuing to advertise on them, universities send a message: that recruitment targets take precedence over values. But is there an alternative?
What Are the Options?
The Bigger Picture
This is about more than media buying decisions. It’s about whether universities are willing to challenge the status quo in an era where inclusivity, truth, and ethics are under siege. It’s about recognising that students today care about the values of the institutions they choose. And it’s about ensuring that universities remain places of progress, not just institutions chasing the next enrolment target.
The question isn’t just whether universities can afford to step away from these platforms. It’s whether they can afford not to.
For further reading on the struggle of true allyship in industries that have gone silent, I highly recommend this article by Marty Davies: The Struggle for True Allyship in an Industry That’s Gone Silent.
Specialist in Education Marketing
2 周Great article ?? My opinion is that disengaging from these platforms doesn’t solve the ethical concerns associated with them. I do agree, though, that universities have an opportunity (and a responsibility) to use their presence to shape the conversation around student support and wellbeing which they don’t always do particularly well. The reality is that these platforms are where prospective students are. If universities want to remain accessible, visible, and relevant, they need to meet students where they are already consuming content. Stepping away from these spaces wouldn’t prevent students from being influenced by them, it would just add further barriers to providing prospective students with valuable content.