Johnson & Wales University

ScholarsArchive@JWU
MBA Student Scholarship he Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School

11-1-2011

he Efects of Social Media on College Students

Qingya Wang
Johnson & Wales University - Providence, qaw733@jwu.edu

Wei Chen
Johnson & Wales University - Providence

Yu Liang
Johnson & Wales University - Providence, yul118@jwu.edu

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Wang, Qingya; Chen, Wei; and Liang, Yu, "he Efects of Social Media on College Students" (2011). MBA Student Scholarship. Paper
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Running Head: EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS 1

The Effects of Social Media on College Students

Qingya Wang, Wei Chen, and Yu Liang

Johnson &Wales University

Feinstein Graduate School

RSCH5500-Research & Analysis

Submitted to Professor Martin Sivula, Ph.D.

November, 2011

Peer Reviewers: Frederic Juillet , Anne Catelotti, Jennifer Gay, Rohan Kichlu, Christina

L. Blundin, and Volha Ban

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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
Abstract

As social media sites continue to grow in popularity, it is our premise that

technology is a vital part in today’s student success equation. This descriptive,

exploratory research study drew a random sample (N=48) of males (n=26) and females

(n=22) who were administered a student perception questionnaire on how social media

affects college students. Thirty-five percent of the participants were undergraduates and

65% were graduate students, studying at Johnson & Wales University. Thirty-one percent

of participants have full-time jobs, 30% have part-time jobs and 39% do not have jobs.

The results of the survey questionnaire indicate that 45% of the sample admitted that they

spent 6-8 hours per day checking social media sites, while 23% spent more than 8 hours;

20% spent 2-4 hours and only 12% spent less than 2 hours on this task. Results indicate

while most college students use social media and spend many hours checking social

media sites, there was a negative aspect to college students’ use of social media.

Key Words: social media, college students, learning efficiency

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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS

Introduction

The definition of social media is “the relationships that exist between network of

people” (Walter & Riviera, 2004). In the last ten years, the online world has changed

dramatically. Thanks to the invention of social media, young men and women now

exchange ideas, feelings, personal information, pictures and videos at a truly astonishing

rate. Seventy-three percent of wired American teens now use social media websites

(Oberst, 2010). Schill (2011) states that the social media sites encourage negative

behaviors for teen students such as procrastination (catching up with friends), and they

are more likely to drink and drug. However, every day, many students are spending

countless hours immersed in social media, such as Facebook, MySpace, World of

Warcraft, or Sim City. At first glance this may seem like a waste of time; however it also

helps students to develop important knowledge and social skills, and be active citizens

who create and share content. At present, whether social media is favorable or

unfavorable, many students utilize these sites on a daily basis. As social media sites

continue to grow in popularity it is our belief that technology is a vital part of today’s

student success equation. Many researchers have been diving into a considerable amount

of research on how social media influences student retention at colleges. Many parents

are worried that their college students are spending too much time on Facebook and other

social media sites and not enough time studying. Therefore, our research ascertains the

relationship between the social media and students’ study efficiency.

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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
Statement of Problem

To address the issue of the effectiveness of using social networking, the first

question raised in this study is: for what purpose is the student utilizing social

networking? Research on this topic will start to reveal social networking sites are simply

part of how students interact with each other with no apparent impact on grades. Thus,

the objective of this research is to explore the advantages and disadvantages of students’

use of social networking for study. The main purpose of this research is to expand on

previous research, explore the relationship between the effects of social networking and

students’ study efficiency, and to determine if social media interfering with students’

academic lives.

Research Questions:

Which is the most popular social media site for students?

What is the amount of time students spend utilizing social media in various academic

processes?

Review of the Literature

College students have great interest in social media. For the purpose of this

study, social media was defined as Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, Twitter, MySpace or

LinkedIn (Martin, 2008). Although, providing a detailed perspective on social media use

among university students and underscoring that such use can produce both positive and

negative consequences, according to a Nielsen Media Research study, in June 2010,

almost 25 percent of students’ time on the Internet is now spent on social networking

websites (Jacobsen, & Forste, 2011). Facebook is the most used social network by

college students, followed by YouTube and Twitter. Moreover, Facebook alone reports
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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
that it now has 500 active million users, 50% of whom log on every day. In addition,

according to a study by Online PhD, students spend roughly 100 minutes per day on

Facebook. In 2007, the number of students who used Facebook was already enormous:

92 percent of college students had an account. By 2008, 99 percent of students had an

account on Facebook. That is quite a large amount considering the service was only

opened in 2006 to everyone.

On one hand, the positive aspect of online communities is that youths can utilize

them for academic assistance and support (Lusk, 2010). Due to the ability of social media

to enhance connections by making them easily accessible, social media can yield many

benefits for the young, including providing a virtual space for them to explore their

interests or problems with similar individuals, academic support, while strengthening

online communication skills and knowledge. “Students who may be reluctant to speak up

in class are participating in book discussion blogs and writing for real audiences. There

are new Web tools emerging all the time that are enhancing learning (Brydolf, 2007).”

On the other hand, “Our findings indicate that electronic media use is negatively

associated with grades. We also find that about two-thirds of the students reported using

electronic media while in class, studying, or doing homework (Jacobsen, & Forste,

2011).” This multitasking likely increases distraction, something prior research has

shown to be detrimental to student performance. As social media websites, such as

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter gain popularity, they are also are becoming increasingly

dangerous as they create modes to procrastinate while trying to complete homework.

Hence, in a survey of 102 students, 57% stated that social media has made them less

productive.
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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
As to the relationship between social media and grades, a study released by Ohio

State University reveals that college students who utilize Facebook spend less time on

studying and have lower grades than students who do not use the popular social

networking sites (Kalpidou, Costin, & Morris, 2011). Moreover, according to a new

study by doctoral candidate Aryn Karpinski of Ohio State University and her co-author,

Adam Duberstein of Ohio Dominican University, college students who use the 500

million member social network have significantly lower grade-point averages (GPAs)

than those who do not. Nevertheless, another study found no correlation between heavy

social media usage and grades. There was no significant difference in grades between

those considered to be heavy users of social media and those considered to be light users.

Additionally, there was no correlation between grades and the social media platform

used. For example, almost the same number of heavy and light users of both Facebook

and YouTube received the same percentage high and low grades.

Regarding the relationship between using social media with the grades of college

students, concurrent with past studies that find that online communication is linked to

time spent in offline relationships, “our findings indicate that Social Networking Site

(SNS) use and cellular-phone communication facilitates offline social interaction, rather

than replace it (Jacobsen & Forste, 2011)”. Students commonly commented that connect

should be invaluable for making friends and supporting each other, especially within the

first few weeks after arriving at the University (Oradini & Saunders, 2007). Furthermore,

“The relationship between Facebook and well-being appears to become positive over the

college years, possibly because upper-class students use Facebook to connect socially

with their peers and participate in college life (Kalpidou, Costin, & Morris, 2011).”
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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
Therefore, “we need to keep in mind that the benefits of this interactive technology far

outweigh the risks,” says Leri. “When it’s used in a positive way, it can be an

extraordinary tool (Brydolf, 2007).”

Method

The purpose of collecting data was to perform a group research on how social

media affects college students. In this research, an anonymous questionnaire was

administered to collect data which was the standard survey collection method. The total

number of questionnaires administered were 50, however the usable questionnaires were

(N = 48). According to the respondents, males (n=26) and females (n=22) were involved

in this survey. Thirty-five percent of participants were undergraduates and 65% were

graduate students currently studying in Johnson & Wales University. Thirty-one percent

of participants have full-time jobs, 30% have part-time jobs and 39% do not have jobs.

The number of females who have jobs is higher than that of males. This was one part of

our anonymous questionnaire. In the following, other relevant questions were developed

to carry out the research.

Other questions focused on the lives of students and the feeling of students

when they were using different social media. For example, “How many hours a day do

you check your social media site?” and “Do you post or respond while completing

homework?” Also, at the end of the questionnaire, we asked two open questions about

the biggest advantage or disadvantage when college students used social media in

studying and looking back to the last time that they used social media.

The participants were randomly selected regardless of gender or educational

level. These questions related to their lives. There were three different perspectives
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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
present in the research which included advantage, disadvantage or not sure. However,

other independent variables were tried to decrease the impact on the results.

Results

Sixty percent of participants are in favor of Facebook, 22% like Skype, 10%

prefer Twitter and 8% like My Space. Sixty-eight percent of the sample reported that they

primarily used a laptop to check social media sites; while 20% use a cell phone; and only

12% preferred to use a desktop computer. Forty-five percent of the sample admitted that

they spent 6-8 hours per day to check a social media site, 23% spent more than 8 hours,

20% spent 2-4 hours and only 12% spent less than 2 hours. The ratio of participants who

posted or responded during school hours was 64%; 15% rarely used social media during

school hours; 21% were not sure whether they would like to use it. Eighty percent of the

sample reported that they posted or responded while completing homework; 8% would

never use social media while doing homework; and 2% were not sure. In terms of the

benefit of social media, 20% agreed that social media helps with school assignments;

25% agreed that social media helps to make new friends; and 55% just used social media

for fun.

Discussion

According to the data we collected from the anonymous questionnaire, most

college students would prefer to use social media and therefore spent vast hours checking

social media sites. Facebook is very popular among college students, even though

students would use it when they had classes. Ninety percent of students spent their time

on entertainment; there were not too many college students who preferred using social
 9
EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
media to deal with their homework. Eighty percent of the sample admitted that they

posted or responded while completing homework. It has definitely affected their

efficiencies and their grades. Considering the data collected, there was a negative attitude

towards social media when college students used them. For instance, imagining one

student spent over six hours checking social media site and responded while completing

their homework; it would be likely increase distraction of the students which can be

detrimental to student performance.

Conclusion

Our research has revealed that college students were likely to be affected by

social media. Social media is attractive; it not only provides college students another

world to make friends, also provides a good way to release pressure. To some degree, it

absolutely affects the lives of college students including the grades. This research also

indicates that an approach is needed to better balance the relationship between social

media and academic study. Therefore, college students should think more about the

balancing equation of social media and academics.

Limitations and Recommendations

This study was limited in several aspects. First, the timeframe to collect data

was too short. Three to four weeks for the study was not sufficient. Second, a total of 50

questionnaires were administered, however usable questionnaires were 48, so the result

may not reflect the real situation for the whole population. With this sample size, the

estimated sample error is 14.4%, so an increase in sample size might yield different

results. And, of course these results might be affected by this very large sample error.
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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
Third, this research did not consider student’s psychological state; perhaps influences and

motivations for social networking use.

Our research indicated that most college students would prefer to use social

media and spend many hours checking social media sites. Social networking is definitely

affecting students’ efficiencies as well as their grades. Hence, educators need to be

concerned about these problems and try to find better ways to solve these problems.

Although, framed within an academic context, the concepts outlined here can be utilized

to investigate the use of communication technology not only at school, however also at

home, workplace, and various other settings, and for a variety of different audiences such

as teenagers, young adults, the elderly, or families. For future research, it may be more

helpful to measure the social presence besides motivation and pressure, examining how a

student’s psychological state influences motivations for social media use. Also, do social

media sites have a positive influence on study and academics and are students leveraging

them as cited sources in discipline research?

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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS

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Brydolf, C. (2007). Minding MySpace: Balancing the benefits and risks of students'

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Domine, V. (2009). A social history of media, technology and schooling. Journal of

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Jacobsen, W. C., & Forste, R. (2011). The Wired Generation: Academic and Social

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