Social media and strategic communication: Attitudes and perceptions among college students

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: Social media have been adopted from its inception by public relations, advertising and marketing practitioners as tools for communicating with strategic publics. Wright and Hinson (2009) have established that public relations professionals perceive social media positively with respect to strategic communication. Given that social media are having an impact on professionals in the industry, the current study examined if social media are having a similar impact on college students in general and students studying in the area of public relations and advertising. The uses, attitudes and perceptions of social media among college students were explored by mixing quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitatively, independent samples t-tests were used to analyze data. Qualitatively, data were analyzed and categorized according to common themes and differences. Analyzing and triangulating the data from survey instruments, interviews and online social networking profiles, validated the findings. Qualitative findings supported survey results.

Findings and Conclusions: The research found that education affects students' understanding and attitudes toward social media. It is important for educators and curriculum leaders to have an appreciation of students' knowledge base of social media and how they employ it in their construction of knowledge and reality. It is also valuable for professionals in the industry, who are hiring recent college graduates, to gain insight into how students perceive social media in their own lives and as strategic tools. Findings suggest that college students majoring advertising and public relations view social media more positively than other majors because they understand how it fits in to the industry in which they are being educated. Because of these findings, social media should be incorporated into strategic communications curriculum to better prepare students for the current media climate.