BOSTON COLLEGE WORLD-WIDE WEBINARS
Trends in Social Media
Dr. Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon
Dr. Ana M. Martínez-Alemán
Boston College
Lynch School of Education
Wednesday April 27, 2016
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Presentation Overview
◎Current trends in social media
○ Data, overview of popular
social media & apps
◎Social media on college
campuses
○ What research tells us;
emerging concerns
◎Our work with social media &
college students
◎Resources to learn more about
social media & young adults
2
Poll 1:
In general, do you feel that
social media is…
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1.
Who Uses Social
Media?
Statistics, engagement apps,
overview of popular social media
3
90% of young adults use social media
Young adults = 18-29 years old
68% women, 62% men use social media
Overall usage of social media among all adults
Source: Pew Research Social Media Usage 2005-2015
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“Aided by the convenience and constant access provided by
mobile phones, 92% of teens report going online daily — with
24% using the internet ‘almost constantly,’ 56% going online
several times a day, and 12% reporting once-a-day use. Just
6% of teens report going online weekly, and 2% go online
less often.”
- Pew 2015: Teens, Social Media and Technology Overview
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7
Top Platforms Used by Teens
71%
Facebook
41%
52%
Instagram
20%
41%
Snapchat
11%
33%
Twitter
6%
33%
Google+
5%
24%
Vine
1%
14%
Tumblr
3%
11%
Other SM
1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
% of All Teens Using Each Platform
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40%
50%
60%
Platform Most Frequently Used
70%
80%
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Poll 2:
What social media platforms
do you regularly use?
10
11
13
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Poll 3:
What type of user accounts
do you follow on social media?
15
Most followed accounts on Twitter
17
Social Media at
Boston College
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Poll 4:
What BC social media
accounts do you follow?
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23
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Messaging Apps on College
Campuses
25
Snapchat
26
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Dating Apps and Trends on
College Campuses
29
Social Media & Dating
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2.
Social Media on the
College Campus
Background literature, empirical
studies, emerging concerns
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97% of college
students own
computers; 94%
own cell phones
(Junco & ColeAvent, 2008)
Students are
constantly
connected to
online
networks
(Dahlstrom,
2012)
Social media captures student culture and
social media is a central aspect of campus life
(Cabellon & Junco, 2015; Martínez-Alemán &
Wartman, 2009).
Selected Benefits of Social Media Usage
on College Campuses
◎Social capital (Pempek, et
al., 2009; Valenzuela, et
al., 2009 )
◎Easing transition into
college (Gray, et al., 2013;
McEwan, 2011)
◎Increased interpersonal
connections (Deandrea, et
al., 2012; Junco, et al.,
2011)
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Selected Benefits of Social Media Usage
on College Campuses
◎Academic & co-curricular
engagement (Burke et al.,
2010; Elavsky, et al., 2011;
Junco, 2011)
◎Increased sense of belonging
Increased sense of belonging
(Strayhorn, 2012; Tong &
Walther, 2011)
◎Activism/civic engagement
(Biddix, 2010; Gismondi, 2015;
Journell et al., 2013)
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Emerging Issues/Concerns
◎Addiction to social media (Kittinger
et al., 2012)
◎Narcissism (Sheldon & Bryant,
2016)
◎Envy of others (Chou & Edge, 2012)
◎Attachment anxiety & sexting via
dating apps (Poltash, 2013)
◎Stalking/surveillance (Karapanos et
al., 2016; Martinez-Aleman &
Wartman, 2009; Sheldon & Bryant,
2016)
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Emerging Issues/Concerns
◎Anonymous racial/gender/sexual orientation
bullying (Gin et al., 2016; Schacter et al.,
2016; Tynes et al., 2013; Walker et al., 2011)
◎Free expression/speech (Hutchens, 2012)
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3.
What Our Research
Tells Us
Social media & 1st generation
college students, implications for
college students
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Research Overview
◎Quantitative and
qualitative data about:
○ How first generation college
students (FGCS) use
technology and social media for
social and academic purposes
○ Relationship between social
media and sense of
belonging/transition to campus
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What we’ve seen
◎Agency: Degree to which students felt
they controlled self presentation
◎Performance: How students believe
they can regulate the presentation of self
online
◎Relationality: Reconfiguration of
campus community and the growth of
online interdependency
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Principle Findings
◎Through their Facebook use,
students believe they:
○ Explore new forms of selfexpression/mediate self-expression
through technology
○ Deepen, extend, and create
connections with other students at
college or at home
○ Manage their self-presentation/social
graph production and consumption
○ Establish and operate social networks
on and off campus/ “floating worlds” &
“hyper-reality”
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Principle Findings
◎Campus Culture
○ As essential aspect of campus life—
broadly
◎Use-Consciousness
○ Navigating user audiences, social
roles, privacy
◎Identity Factors
○ Race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality,
social class; not
disjointed/fragmented; sychronic &
diachronic
◎Voyeurism and Impression
Management
○ Authenticity & counterfeiting,
“stalking”, social networking
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Principle Findings
◎Top social media platforms used:
○ Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat
○ Others: GroupMe, Vine, Tumblr, LinkedIn
◎Different platforms have different
uses
○ Facebook for event sharing, information
acquisition
○ Students prefer to be consumers of
information provided by institutional
programs, not producers of content
○ Student maintain strong-ties [external to
campus]; weak-ties [internal to campus]
exhibit limited reach
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Principle Findings
◎Social media = social
○ Academic purposes = “weird”,
unprofessional (email or in-person
most appropriate)
○ Student/staff disconnect—need for
privacy; authority surveillance
phenomenon
◎Staff buy-in and social media
literacy critical
◎Faculty’s technology use
policies matter
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How do we use social media to
connect with students?
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Colleges and Universities can…..
◎Use social networking to connect with students:
○ Support systems: Connecting students to resources and information from campus
administration (e.g. important dates in housing selection process)
○ Ways to promote involvement: Advertising events and opportunities available on campus
(e.g. retreats or leadership)
○ Promote ways for students to form weak ties: Establish class group networks or ‘Class
of…’ pages to facilitate connections outside of regular friend groups
○ Connect academic with co-curriculum: Highlighting departmental speaker series or guest
lecturers
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Family and Friends can…
◎Use social networking to connect with students:
○ Support systems: Share news about home happenings and show
support for student’s accomplishments or challenges
○ Connect to information/resources on campus & share with students:
Many institutions have accounts specifically for family members of
students to share information about campus activities, opportunities to
be involved, helpful advice, and deadline reminders
○ Connect with other parents: Create a sense of community with other
parents and family members of students at the institution
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4.
Additional Resources
For learning more about social
media & young adults
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Additional Resources
◎https://safesmartsocial.com/app-guide-parents-teachers/
◎http://fun.familyeducation.com/mobile-apps/social-networking/74548.html
◎http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/25/health/social-media-red-flags-for-parents/
◎https://www.collegeparentcentral.com/2014/09/are-you-college-parent-socialmedia-savy-beyond-admissions-and-beyond-hovering/
◎https://www.universityparent.com/topics/career-planning/what-you-need-toknow-about-your-students-web-reputation/#gsc.tab=0
◎http://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/student-life/articles/collegehealth-safety/10-smart-social-networking-tips-students
◎http://www.bc.edu/alumni/connect/social_media_guide.html
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Thanks!
Any Questions?
You can contact us at:
Dr. Martínez-Alemán:
alemanan@bc.edu
Dr. Rowan-Kenyon:
rowanken@bc.edu
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References:
◎Biddix, J. P. (2010). Technology uses in campus activism from 2000 to 2008: Implications for civic learning. Journal of College
Student Development, 51(6), 679-693.
◎Burke, M., Marlow, C., & Lento, T. (2010). Social network activity and social well-being. In Paper presented at the proceedings
of the 28th international conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1901–1912). New York: ACM Press.
◎Cabellon, E., & Junco, R. (2015). The digital age of student affairs. New Directions for Student Services, 133(133), 41–53.
◎Chou, H. T. G., & Edge, N. (2012). “They are happier and having better lives than I am”: the impact of using Facebook on
perceptions of others’ lives. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(2), 117-121.
◎Dahlstrom, E. (2012). ECAR study of undergraduate students and information technology. Louisville, CO: EDUCAUSE Center
for Applied Research.
◎Deandrea, D. C., Ellison, N. B., Larose, R., Steinfield, C., & Fiore, A. (2012). Serious social media: On the use of social media
for improving students’ adjustment to college. Internet and Higher Education, 15, 15–23.
◎ Elavsky, C. M., C. Mislan, and S. Elavsky. 2011. When Talking Less Is More: Exploring Outcomes of Twitter Usage in the
Large-Lecture Hall. Learning, Media and Technology 36 (3): 215–233.
◎Gin, K., Martínez-Alemán, A. M., Rowan Kenyon, H., & Hottel, D. (in press). Racialized aggressions and social media on
campus. Journal of College Student Development.
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Factors influencing successful transitions and persistence. Computers and Education, 67, 193–207.
◎Hutchens, N. (2012). You can't post that…or can you? Legal issues related to college and university students' online speech.
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engagement. Computers and Education.
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Student Services, 124, 3‐17.
◎Martinez-Aleman, A. M., & Wartman, K. L. (2009). Online social networking on campus: Understanding what matters in student
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References:
◎Karapanos, E., Teixeira, P., & Gouveia, R. (2016). Need fulfillment and experiences on social media: A case on Facebook and
WhatsApp. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 888–897.
◎Kittinger, R., Correla, C. J., & Irons, J. G. (2012). Relationship between Facebook use and problematic Internet use among
college students. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15, 324–327.
◎McEwan, B. (2011). Hybrid engagement: How Facebook helps and hinders students’ social integration. In L. A. Wankel & C.
Wankel (Eds.), Higher education administration with social media: Including applications in student affairs, enrollment
management, alumni relations, and career centers (pp. 3–23). Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing
Limited.
◎Pempek, T. A., Yermolayeva, Y. A., & Calvert, S. L. (2009). College students’ social networking experiences on Facebook ☆.
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30, 227–238.
◎PewResearchCenter. (2015). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015.
◎Poltash, N. A. (2013). Snapchat and sexting: a snapshot of baring your bare essentials. Journal of Law & Technology, 19.
◎Schacter, H. L., Greenberg, S., & Juvonen, J. (2016). Who’s to blame?: The effects of victim disclosure on bystander reactions
to cyberbullying. Computers in Human Behavior, 57, 115–121.
◎Sheldon, P., & Bryant, K. (2016). Instagram: Motives for its use and relationship to narcissism and contextual age. Computers
in Human Behavior, 58, 89–97.
◎Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). Exploring the impact of Facebook and Myspace on first-year students’ sense of belonging and
persistence decisions. Journal of College Student Development, 53(6). 783-796.
◎Tong, S., & Walther, J. B. (2011). Relational maintenance and CMC. In K. B. Wright & L. M. Webb (Eds.), Computer-mediated
communication in personal relationships (pp. 98-118). New York. Peter Lang Publishing.
◎Tynes, B. M., Rose, C. A, & Markoe, S. L. (2013). Extending campus life to the Internet: Social media, discrimination, and
perceptions of racial climate. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 6(2), 102–114.
◎Valenzuela, S., Park, N., & Kee, K. F. (2009). Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site?: Facebook Use and College
Students’ Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.
◎ Walker, M., Thornton, L., De Choudhury, M., Teevan, J., Bulik, C. M., Levinson, C. A., & Zerwas, S. (2015). Facebook Use and
Disordered Eating in College-Aged Women. Journal of Adolescent Health, 57(2), 157–163.
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