Research Symposium

BIO

Hi, I am Brian, a sophomore majoring in Accounting and Finance hoping to start my career in public accounting or consulting. In my free time, I love watching college football, playing sports, cooking, and watching movies.

Social Media’s Role in Prospective First-generation students’ College Decisions

Abstract

 In previous research, there is no clear causation or correlation between social media and first-generation college choices. In this study, we focused on student's social capital, which is the resources embedded in one’s social networks that individuals can use to reach their goals (Whiteley, 2015). Bonding social capital is associated with strong ties such as family members and close friends who share one’s social niche, while bridging social capital is related to weak ties that allow individuals to be exposed to a broader range of people and novel perspectives (Putnam, 2000). A body of literature (e.g., Ellison et al., 2007; Ellison et al., 2014; Greenhow & Burton, 2011) emphasized that social media can be used as a facilitator to expand upon one's social capital, allowing them to convert their latent ties into weak ties.
 Macgilchrist (2018) concluded that the educational system inputs too much educational responsibility on technological sources, for instance, social media, to inform their students. However, technology usage is more complex, entangled with individual social material settings (Selwyn, 2012), and college decisions are based on multiple factors including their individual habitus (i.e., their internalized system of thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives), school and community, higher education, social, economic, and policy contexts (Perna,2006). Thus, social media's role should be examined within the broader context of the teen's college choice system, in which social media usage is embedded.

Keywords: First Generation College