Getting social: postgraduate students use of social media

Social media are becoming increasingly popular in a professional context and, if used appropriately, can be beneficial to postgraduate students. Little is known regarding the extent to which postgraduate students engage with social media for postgraduate purposes. The present study aimed to understa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Studies in continuing education 2023-01, Vol.45 (1), p.54-70
Main Authors: Le Busque, Brianna, Mingoia, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alliances
Audiences
Communication (Thought Transfer)
Community
Doctoral candidates
Doctoral Students
Graduate students
Graduate study
Higher education
Interpersonal Communication
Learning
Mental health
Motivation
Multimethod techniques
PhD students
postgraduate students
Science communication
Sciences
Self Advocacy
Sharing Behavior
Social Media
Social networking
Social Networks
Student Attitudes
Student Behavior
Student Experience
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Summary:Social media are becoming increasingly popular in a professional context and, if used appropriately, can be beneficial to postgraduate students. Little is known regarding the extent to which postgraduate students engage with social media for postgraduate purposes. The present study aimed to understand postgraduate students' general use of social media, as well as investigate social media use specifically for postgraduate (educational and/or scientific) purposes. A total of 231 postgraduate students from 45 countries completed a mixed-methods survey. Instagram was the most frequently used social media platform overall, with Twitter being the most commonly used for postgraduate purposes. Most students posted educational and/or scientific content on social media platforms, with approximately one-third having a social media account specific for postgraduate/scientific content. The most common reasons postgraduate students access social media for postgraduate-related purposes were personal connection with community, science communication, motivations and learning, and networking. The most common reasons for posting postgraduate content online were self-branding, accessing a broad audience, science communication, and building a postgraduate community. Overall, postgraduate students are commonly using social media for postgraduate purposes which presents opportunities to mitigate pitfalls of the student experience and promote positive mental health among this group.
ISSN:0158-037X
1470-126X
DOI:10.1080/0158037X.2021.1989396