1. Limitations
• Self-esteem and GPA were both self-
reported.
• The survey did not examine social
media usage for academic purposes.
Social Media: Vulnerable or Validated?
Cameron Royster
Sociology Department, McDaniel College
Implications
• Social media may be diminishing attention
span.
• Lower self-esteem may affect the college
experience in general.
Future Research
• Does earlier access to social media have a
long-term impact on attention span and
self-esteem?
Methods
• A student-designed survey was
administered to students in Fall 2015.
• The sampling frame was 1,311 on-campus
residents.
• The sample size was 416 rooms chosen
through systematic random sampling.
• The response rate was 67%.
References
1. Schenk, Allison M., William J. Fremouw. 2012. “Prevalence, Psychological Impact, and Coping of
Cyberbully Victims Among College Students.” Journal Of School Violence. 11(1):21-37.
2. Andsager, Julie L. 2014. "Research Directions in Social Media and Body Image." Sex Roles 71(11-
12):407-413.
3. Baer, Jay. 2015. “15 New Facebook Advertising Statistics.” Convince and Convert Social Media Strategy
and Content Marketing Strategy. http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-research/15-new-
facebook-advertising-statistics/.
4. Lenhart, Amanda. 2015. “Mobile Access Shifts Social Media Use and Other Online Activities.” Pew
Research Center. http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/mobile-access-shifts-social-media-use-and-
other-online-activities/.
Results
• There was a statistically significant
relationship between the number of hours
spent on social media daily and self-esteem.
• There was a statistically significant
relationship between the number of hours
spent on social media daily and GPA.
The average time spent on social media explains
2% of the variance in self-esteem and 4% of the
variance in GPA.
Introduction
• 9% of students have been cyber bullied
while in college.1
• 73% of Americans use at least one form of
social media.2
• 1.28 billion people are active on Facebook
alone each month.3
• 91% of teens mobile internet access is for
social media activities.4
Do self-esteem and GPA correlate with the
number of hours spent on social media?
Discussion
Time spent on social media daily correlates
with self-esteem because:
• Responses to posts may make people feel
vulnerable or validated.
• Positive feedback on contents may lead to
higher self-esteem.
Time spent on social media daily
correlates with GPA because:
• Social media platforms are designed to
keep users engaged.
• People not on social media may have more
free time to study.
45
64
55
36
3.2 & Below 3.3 & Above
%
Chi Square = 7.815 P-Value = 0.005 Cramer’s V = 0.190
Hours Spent on Social Media Daily & GPA
0 - 2.5 Hours 3 + Hours
GPA
44
5856
42
Low High
%
Chi Square = 4.867 P-Value = 0.027 Cramer’s V = 0.138
Hours Spent on Social Media Daily & Self-
Esteem
0 - 2.5 Hours 3 + Hours
Self-Esteem