The effects of social media on undergraduate students

Abstract

Understanding the correlation between social media usage in undergraduate students of varying class statuses (freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior) and academic performance is extremely important. Data was gathered by examining pertinent research of professionals within the field as well as survey distribution. The amount of time that most people spent on certain apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook was collected. Subject selection for the original Social Media Usage Survey (SMUS) was restricted to undergraduate students currently attending Salisbury University. The objective was to have a stable data sample of the four main undergraduate student class statuses to adequately represent the undergraduate student populace. All subjects of this study were at least 18 years of age. Those who completed the SMUS were randomly selected students. No personal identifiers were attached to information gathered. Original research questions were answered. No discernible correlation between social media usage and overall student GPA was observed. An unexpected correlation between student class designation and social media usage was discovered.