On Storytelling, Strategy, and Social Media: An Interview with Annalia Buchanan (FSU 2025)

Annalia Buchanan came to FSU to study history. As a sophomore, she became a member of the FSU History social media team — and remained one until her graduation this past spring. During her seven semesters as an intern, she crafted countless posts, mentored other student interns, and helped create a supportive work environment. Annalia began graduate work at the University of Michigan this fall, studying for a master’s degree in library and information science. Danielle Wirsansky spoke with Annalia about her time on the social media team.

What originally drew you to get involved with the FSU History social media team?

I originally came into the social media team after asking our wonderful history advisor, Anne Kozar, about more opportunities to get involved with or study history outside of class time! She placed the interest form in front of me, and while I was initially hesitant because I didn’t have much experience with history, I’m so glad that I decided to try it out.

What’s one thing about contributing to a History department’s social media that people might not expect?

There are a lot of reviews that go into every single post you see! Our team takes a lot of time to sit around and discuss even the inanest parts of our posts. We’ve collectively spent hours making choices about font, image placement, color, and especially grammar. While you might assume this makes for a contentious work environment, the team is always there to support each other, and all criticism is constructive. Since I’ve left, I still miss having a constant support team to bounce ideas off and offer new outlooks I might not have considered.

How did this experience help you grow as a historian, student or communicator?

I’ll go for all three! As a historian, this internship helped me synthesize my previous knowledge of historical research from class and personal projects with the new demands of the internet age. As a communicator, I learned how to translate paragraphs of historical word vomit into sharp, catchy, internet-attention-span-friendly graphics and videos. My tech skills were absolutely enhanced. As a student, this internship challenged me to balance my class and extracurricular commitments—and to let them play off each other. Things I studied in class showed up in my work with the account, and vice versa! It was a perfect history buff sandbox to build in.

Did working on the account influence how you think about public history or digital outreach?

Social media is absolutely the new frontier for people getting together to talk about history! Working for this account gave me a glimpse into the inner workings of our digital communities. By learning the professional standards and practices of digital outreach, I was able to constructively contribute to larger conversations and offer people outside the field a way to gain a foothold in the overwhelming world of the internet.

Were there any posts or projects that you found particularly challenging — but rewarding?

I have a lot of posts that stumped me in different ways. For some, I felt unsure of the goal but had a cohesive vision; for others, I felt completely swamped trying to translate a historical event or person into a condensed post people would read. My biggest challenge, though, was my Doll History series. I started with a very lofty idea — creating a year or more of content focused solely on the history of dolls. Dr. Liebeskind and my teammates helped me turn that big grand plan into action by keeping me focused on the tiny details a big-picture project might miss out on.

How did you handle the balance between historical accuracy and audience engagement?

This is the most challenging part of making social media content — especially from a professional account! There were subjects I wanted to cover purely from historical appreciation, but the most important element of a post is the education it provides. Our account always prioritizes accuracy, but accuracy doesn’t have to be boring! That’s why it helps to have a full team and a lot of outside sources who work in social media to reference. That way, you learn how to take a “boring” subject and spruce it up with digital tools.

How did your own historical interests influence the kinds of content you created?

Students get a unique opportunity working on the FSU History account: you can put your personality and special interests front and center when creating content. Instead of being constantly assigned posts unrelated to your passions, Dr. Liebeskind provides a flexible framework that lets you explore what excites you while still building key skills. Beyond my doll posts, I got to explore ancient jewelry, music history, and women’s history — topics I love.

What advice would you give to students just starting to work on history-related social media?

Get ambitious and reach outside of your comfort zone! Familiarize yourself with what other accounts are doing and learn from their posts. I think the technical aspect is just as important — learn what software works best for you and explore what little special touches you can add to make your content stand out.

Looking back, what are you most proud of from your time on the team?

I’m most proud of all our joint content! People who’ve never worked in social media might be surprised by how much time and effort it takes to coordinate posts — especially videos — between multiple people (and we were all full-time students!). Thinking back on my favorite team memories, they’re all about taking something massive, working on it for weeks, and finally putting it out in its absolute best form. Whether it was our silly meme posts, Valentine’s Day features, Spotify Wrapped, or FSU-centric content like our statue recreations, those projects represent so much effort and teamwork that I’ll always look back on them with fondness.