College Search and Selection Through Social Media Content for Black First-Year Students at Historically White Colleges and Universities

• In Event: Social Media Sensemaking Within and Across Cultures

Abstract

Social media has become a successful marketing tool influencing prospective college students' university choices and selection; however, current research does not investigate first-year Black college students at a public university in California. This study uses semi-structured interviews and campus tours to understand social media’s role in a students college search and selection. This study investigates specifically the role Instagram, Youtube, and Tik Tok influence Black students’ decisions to apply to and enroll in a HWCU. This paper contributes to higher education literature by addressing the most common factors Black students seek on social media.

Author

• Passion Faith Lord, University of California - Los Angeles