As social media sites continue to grow in popularity, it is our premise that
technology is a vital part in today’s student success equation. This descriptive,
exploratory research study drew a random sample (N=48) of males (n=26) and females
(n=22) who were administered a student perception questionnaire on how social media
affects college students. Thirty-five percent of the participants were undergraduates and
65% were graduate students, studying at Johnson & Wales University. Thirty-one percent
of participants have full-time jobs, 30% have part-time jobs and 39% do not have jobs.
The results of the survey questionnaire indicate that 45% of the sample admitted that they
spent 6-8 hours per day checking social media sites, while 23% spent more than 8 hours;
20% spent 2-4 hours and only 12% spent less than 2 hours on this task. Results indicate
while most college students use social media and spend many hours checking social
media sites, there was a negative aspect to college students’ use of social media.