Social Media in Higher Education
ASHE Higher Education Report, Volume 42, Number 5
J–B ASHE Higher Education Report Series (AEHE) Series

Social media is central to postsecondary education. It is how students engage with the campus community, and campus leaders and practitioners are interested in how an institution can employ social media to impact instruction, student services and institutional effectiveness in an increasingly competitive market. This volume presents the current research and scholarship on social media that provides a view of the higher education landscape in this new digital age and it demonstrates how social media influence behavior and campus culture.

Drawing on a critical synthesis and analysis from recent research on this rapidly evolving phenomenon, this monograph examines:

• some of the assumptions and presumptions around social media,
• how social media is used and how it shapes the student experience and student development, and
• best practices for enhancing curricular and co–curricular communities of practice.

This is the 5th issue of the 42nd volume of the Jossey–Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education issue, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.

Executive Summary 7

Foreword 13

Acknowledgments 17

Introduction and Relevance of Social Media 18

Definitions 19

Monograph Roadmap 20

Demographics of Technology/Mobile/Social Media Use 22

Historical Context 22

Understanding the Connections Between Internet Usage, Social Media, and Mobile Accessibility 24

Overall Social Media Data 25

Platform–Specific Data 26

Teenage Trends 28

College Student Use of Digital Technologies 29

Social Media and Students College Admission Process 33

Recruitment and Selection Process 33

Expectations of Prospective Students 34

Institutional Strategies 38

First–Generation College Students and College Choice 42

Greater Access to Information 42

Peer Feedback 45

Emotional Support and Reinforcement of Identity 46

Social Media and College Transitions 48

Prearrival College Transitions 49

Postarrival College Adjustment 50

Maintenance of Home Relationships 51

Forming Relationships with College Peers and Loneliness 51

Institutional Attachment and Persistence 52

College and University Social Media Interventions 53

Academic Uses of Social Media 55

Implementation of Social Media in the Curriculum 57

Outcomes of Social Media Integration into the Curriculum 61

The Negative Side of Social Media Use in the Curriculum 65

Campus Social Experience and Cocurricular Learning 73

Social Media and Student Engagement 74

Social Capital Acquisition and Social Media 74

Engagement on Social Media 76

Activism and Civic Engagement 77

Identity Development and Social Media 78

Self–Presentation 80

Digital Identity and Self–Presentation Implications for Practice 81

Social Media Use in Specific Functional Areas 83

Advancement, Development, and Alumni Relations 83

Athletics 85

Campus/Student Activities and Involvement 88

Career Services 89

Conduct Offices 90

Crisis Response 92

Multicultural Affairs 93

Residence Life 94

Emerging Challenges on Campus 96

Anonymity 96

Cyberbullying 98

Social Media in Higher Education 5

Racial Hostility 98

Relationships and Dating 99

Summary and Synthesis of Reviewed Literature 100

Practice and Institutional Policy–making 103

Research Implications 103

Functional Areas and Cocurricular Implications 104

Academic Implications 106

The Future of Social Media on Campus 108

References 112

Name Index 129

Subject Index 135

About the Authors 139

Dr. Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership & Higher Education Department at Boston College, Lynch School of Education.

Dr. Ana M. Martýnez Aleman is professor and chair of the Educational Leadership&Higher Education Department at Boston College, Lynch School of Education.