Social Media: A Study of its Use in Higher Education

Social media has changed both the way in which institutions of higher education and their brands interact with their potential students and their communities. The theoretical foundation for this study examined social exchange and social learning theories. The key topics involving the theoretical framework entail social media in higher education, the value of using social media platforms, applications, recruitment tool, and the use and types of social media by students. This study furthered the research on the use of social media in the college environment. It was not known how institutions of higher education in Arizona used social media to interact or connect with college students. The purpose of this interpretive qualitative research study was to explore how institutions of higher education in Arizona use social media to interact or connect with college students. The central research question this study sought to understand was how do institutions of higher education in Arizona use social media to connect or interact with college students. A questionnaire, interview, and documents were used to collect data. A sample was taken from the 90 postsecondary institutions focusing on only the 40 regionally accredited two and four-year postsecondary institutions in the State of Arizona. Once the data were collected, they were coded using several themes: types of social media being used by the institution, uses of social media, and the benefits of using social media. It was determined that social media did play a major role in how colleges and universities in Arizona connect and interact with college students.;Keywords: Social Media, Institutions of Higher Education, Marketing, Recruitment, Student Engagement.