College Students and Social Media: Is Everyone Addicted, or Does It Just Seem That Way?

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: Emerging Perspectives on Social Media and the College Student Experience

Abstract

This study seeks to extend the research paradigm on pluralistic ignorance in higher education to the topic of social media consumption. Using data from the 2018 National Survey of Student Engagement, responses from 10,512 college students attending 33 institutions suggest significant differences across gender and within reference group (self vs. other) for social media use, as well as interaction effects. For both first-years and seniors, the results demonstrate that students perceive others to be posting and viewing social media more frequently than themselves, and this effect is even more pronounced for men. There was also a main effect for gender, such that women perceived both themselves and other students to be posting and viewing social media more frequently than men.

Authors

• Angie L. Miller, Indiana University

• Amber D. Dumford, University of South Florida - Tampa

• Samantha Silberstein, University of North Carolina - Wilmington