Vol. 10, No.

1 (Summer 2016)

Social Media and Strategic Communication:

A Three-Year Study of Attitudes and Perceptions about
Social Media among College Students

Bobbi Kay Lewis, Ph.D.

Oklahoma State University

Cynthia Nichols, Ph.D.

Oklahoma State University

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Introduction

It is impossible to ignore the influence of social media on our society. While it

took traditional media—such as radio and television—more than a decade to reach 50

million users, it took Facebook less than nine months to reach 100 million users (Patel,

2010). Mobile technologies including laptops, tablets and smart-phones allow us to be

constantly connected, which has had a dramatic impact on our daily lives. Internet and

social media usage is increasingly taking place on mobile devices, particularly on

smartphones. In fact, according to research firms Nielsen and McKinsey, share of

internet time on social media spent on smartphones is reported as 31 percent

compared to only 18 percent on PCs (Perez, 2012). Social media has changed the way

society communicates, learns, and conducts business. This paper seeks to examine

social media and its impact on college students, particularly with respect to strategic

communications. The study will compare responses among subjects from 2009, 2010

and 2012.

Social Media and Strategic Communications

Strategic communications, as defined by Hallahan, Holtzhausen, van Ruker, Veri

and Sriramesh (2007), is the “purposeful use of communication by an organization to

fulfill its mission” (p.4). In many cases, strategic communications is aligned with an

organization’s overall strategy and includes advertising, public relations and marketing

as disciplines under its umbrella (Hallahan et al., 2007). The emergence of the Internet

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and social media has had a tremendous impact on the theory and practice of

advertising, public relations and marketing disciplines (Chung, Kim, Trammell & Porter,

2007; Pavlik, 2007; Scoble & Israel, 2006; Scott, 2010; Wright & Hinson, 2010).

Marketing, advertising and public relations programs were once developed well in

advance and released on the practitioners’ timetable, but social media have created a

demand for real-time, two-way communication programs that engage publics and

evolve based on the conversation (Scott, 2010). Because of its ability to organically

connect people, social media have become essential to public relations, advertising and

marketing practitioners (also commonly known as strategic communicators) as tools for

communicating with strategic publics. Social media allow marketers to communicate

with segmented markets virtually automatically. In a study examining the fast growing

phenomenon of brand communities established on social media, Lorach, Habibi, Richard

and Sankaranarayanan (2013) found that brand communities established on social

media enhance feelings of community among members and contribute to creating value

for both members and the company. By learning consumers’ interests and lifestyles, as

represented in their social networking profiles, marketers can deliver messages and

information that is customized to the individual. The rise in this type of social media

advertising marks a continued trend to establish more intimate relationships with

customers (Wright, Khanfar, Harrington, & Kizer, 2010). Many strategic communicators

also have embraced social media as an important tool to enhance issues management,

environmental monitoring, and two-way communication (Wright & Hinson, 2009). The

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rules for doing so are constantly changing, and there is considerable uncertainty on how

to employ these tools from a strategic perspective. According to Pavlik (2007), public

relations practitioners have had to adapt their strategies and tactics as media have

evolved. Traditional media relations strategies (e.g., news release and media kit

preparation and distribution) are shifting to practices that are more relevant to a social

media environment (Waters, Tindall & Morton, 2010). Some of these adaptations have

been strategic and intentional—designed to improve effectiveness and efficiency;

however, other changes have been unintentional—possibly having negative effects on

PR practices. It is established in the literature that significant gaps remain in knowledge

of how organizations are using social media and how these important new channels of

communication can and should be utilized in the context of public relations and

corporate communication (Cornelissen, 2011; Fitch, 2009; Kent, 2010; Macnamara &

Zerfass, 2012; Wright & Hinson, 2009).

Social Media and College Students

Teens and young adults were among the first to adopt and utilize social networking

tools as ways to facilitate dialogue and develop online communities. Because social

networking site usage is so prevalent among college students, there is an assumption by

many professionals and organizations that they know how to employ them as strategic

tools (Loretto, 2009). In fact, many organizations are looking to college students to fill

their social media deficit, and are posting jobs on websites, such as Craigslist.org, that

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seek out social media gurus and social media managers. Despite the assumed expertise

in the title of the positions, these companies are often seeking interns, yet expecting

them to be able to incorporate advanced social media strategies into the organization’s

initiatives. In a study of nonprofit organizations and engaging stakeholders through

social networking, Waters, Burnett, Lamm and Lucas (2009) found college interns and

volunteers are often in charge of managing nonprofits’ Facebook presence because they

have knowledge on appropriate uses of the site and are often already personally

invested into social networking. This particular communication strategy assumes that

college students would be equipped with their own social media strategies that could be

applicable to the business’ strategic communications efforts. This logic begs the

question: Does merely having a Facebook page and Twitter account make one an expert

in social media? Or, do students need to be emerged in learning situations that

demonstrate how social media can be used strategically? Can college students establish

themselves as members of the strategic communications community of practice through

their use of social media? Media literacy and media education literature suggests that

even though media and commercial messages are virtually inescapable in Western

culture, it is still necessary to educate people about the media, its power and influence,

and how to effectively craft and disseminate mediated messages.

In previous research of college students’ attitudes and perceptions of social media,

Lewis (2010) found that major, class standing or number of years in school, using social

media as a top news source, and social media coursework have a significant impact on

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college students’ attitudes and perceptions of social media. The purpose of this current

study was to expand the understanding of the impact of social media on college

students, and whether students’ opinions about social media are changing over time.

The uses, attitudes, and perceptions of social media among students were explored

through survey data. College students were surveyed in 2009, 2010 and 2012 to

investigate how certain factors, such as class in school, social media habits, and major,

can affect understanding and attitudes toward social media. Through situated learning

theory and Communities of Practice, this study explores the importance of social media

and how to employ it strategically in the construction of knowledge and reality for

students, educators, and curriculum leaders.

Conceptual Framework

Situated Learning and Communities of Practice. Lave and Wegner (1991)

designate learning as a function of activity, context, and culture in which it occurs;

learning is “situated.” According to Wenger (1998), a social learning theory must

integrate four components necessary to characterize social participation, including: “(1)

Meaning: learning as experience, (2) practice: learning as doing, (3) community: learning

as belonging, and (4) identity: learning as becoming” (p. 5). Situated learning discussions

often refer to the idea of a “community of practice,” which was coined by Lave and

Wenger while studying apprenticeship as a learning model, as reported by Wenger

(1999). The term refers to the community that acts as a living curriculum for the

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apprentice. Through further investigation of the concept, Lave and Wenger realized the

existence of the practice of a community went far beyond the formal apprenticeship

system (Wenger, 1999). Communities of Practice (CoP) are informal, pervasive, and an

integral part of our daily lives. Knowledge and skills are obtained by participating in

activities that expert members of the community would perform. Learners become

involved in a community of practice, which embodies that certain beliefs and behaviors

be acquired (Wenger, 1998). For example, to facilitate learning in education, teachers

act as practitioners and expose students to conceptual tools, which they then can

employ to wrestle with authentic problems. Enculturation into the cognitive community

is fostered through modeling from the teacher and providing authentic activities in an

appropriate environment. As Wenger (1998) points out social learning theory is not

purely an academic enterprise. Social learning not only informs our academic

investigations, but also it influences our policies, and the technical and organizational

systems we design and work within.

It is also established in the literature that mediated elements play a significant

role in the situated learning environment. In fact, most of the current work in mobile

and digital learning theory apply constructivist principles and situated learning

assumptions (Jonassen & Land, 2000). The concept of constructivist learning and

situated learning is that learners interact with the physical and social world rather than

passively receive knowledge (Yukawa, 2010). This can also describe the difference

between traditional media and social media. People are no longer viewers or passive

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audience members receiving information; social media provides the opportunity to

interact and contribute to the knowledge being created and disseminated. The recent

development of mobile technologies and better understanding and application of Web

technologies—particularly cognitive tools—is said to have a profound impact on

pedagogy, according to Comas-Quinn, Mardomingo, and Valentine (2009). Technological

development is affecting other areas of society as well. Traxler (2007) reports new forms

of art, employment, language, commerce, deprivation and crime, as well as learning, are

emerging from the transformed discourse and knowledge created by mobile, personal

and wireless devices. Situated learning involves engaging students in meaningful

practices, providing access to resources that enhance their participation, opening their

horizons so they can put themselves in learning trajectories they can identify with, and

involving them in actions, discussions, and reflections that make a difference to the

communities that they value. Sharing, collaboration and interaction with other learners

and experts from whom the learner can obtain different perspectives on the problem

clearly enhance the opportunities for learning (Comas-Quinn et al., 2009). Wenger

(1998) explains that theories of social practice “are concerned with everyday activity

and real-life settings, but with an emphasis on the social systems of shared resources by

which groups organize and coordinate their activities, mutual relationships, and

interpretations of the world” (p. 13). Social media are part of our society’s everyday

activity and emphasize the sharing of resources by which like-minded groups organize

and coordinate their activities, maintain relationships, and interpret the world.

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Hypotheses and Research Questions

In order to grasp social media’s impact on the communications practice, it is

important to understand strategic communications students’ (Lewis, 2010) attitudes

and perceptions on social media. Therefore, this research seeks to understand how and

if college students (strategic communications majors and non) have the same attitudes

and perceptions toward social media as they have in the past. Social media and its

impact on strategic communications is a fairly recent phenomenon, so the empirical

research on the topic is somewhat limited. Wright and Hinson’s (2009) survey

instrument was used to measure the impact of social media on public relations among

practitioners, was modified and employed with permission of the authors to measure

the perceptions of social media in this study. Driven by the following hypothesis,

research questions and purpose, the uses, attitudes and perceptions of social media

among college students were explored by analyzing survey data collected in 2009, 2010

and 2012.

H1: Public relations and advertising majors will perceive social media more positively

than other college students.

In addition, the following research questions were addressed:

RQ1: How will time influence responses to attitudes about social media?

RQ2: How will gender affect college students’ and attitudes toward social media?

RQ3: How does number of years in school affect student’s attitude toward social

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media?

RQ4: How will taking a class on social media affect students’ perceptions of social

media as strategic communications tools?

RQ5: How will using social media as a primary news source affect attitude toward

social media?

Method

In many ways, social media have changed the way individuals and corporations

communicate. Blogs, websites, mobile applications (apps), and a variety of developing

technology not only give people the ability to tell a story, but also have the potential to

educate, inspire, and engage others. The ability to do so is unlike anything

communications professionals have encountered before, and its power and popularity

have increased every year since its inception. The purpose of this study is to examine

whether college students’ attitudes toward social media are affected by their major and

educational experiences, and to see if their attitudes are more or less favorable over

time. The study compares students’ attitudes and perceptions of social media during a

four-year period. The following section explains the measures used in the study as well

as the data collection process.

Procedures

To measure the attitudes of the college students toward social media,

quantitative data (N = 1015) was collected over a period of four years. Year 1 data was

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collected in the Fall of 2009, Year 2 data was collected in the Fall of 2010, and Year 3

data was collected in the Fall of 2012. Students in Year 1 (n = 462) and Year 2 (n = 334)

and Year 3 (n = 219) enrolled in communications and general studies courses at a large

Midwestern University were administered a paper survey. Before beginning the survey,

participants completed an informed consent form that the University’s institutional

review board approved.

Measurement Scale

Attitudes toward social media were analyzed using a modified 26-question scale

designed to examine perception of social media with respect to strategic

communications (Wright and Hinson, 2009). In this scale, 5-point Likert-type statements

regarding attitudes toward social media ranged from strongly disagree (1) to strongly

agree (5). Within the survey instrument, some of the questions focused on negative

associations to social media. Because of this, some of the scores were reverse-coded in

order to have all positive answers associated with a “5” and all negative answers

associated with a “1”—thus, the higher the score, the greater the agreement. Some

language in the survey was slightly changed to address the student population;

however, the meanings of the statements were not affected. Cronbach’s alpha

coefficient of reliability was used to measure the average inter-correlation of the scale

(Alpha =.932), which met the requirements of an acceptable measure of .70 or higher.

To determine the significance of the difference between group means, ANOVAS, t-tests,

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and simple linear regression were used for the Likert-type survey questions relating to

the impact of social media on college students’ communication, in general and with

respect to strategic communications. The findings of this research were analyzed

according to the hypotheses and the research questions addressed.

Results

Similar to previous research of this nature, a majority (59.5%) of participants

were women (n = 610) with 40.5% (n = 415) male participants. In 2009, there were 177

male participants and 277 female; in 2010, 132 males and 219 females participated in

the study; whereas a more equal distribution of male (n = 106) to female (n = 115)

participants existed. Overall, 29.3% (n = 300) of the college students who participated

were classified as freshman, 27.8% (n = 285) as sophomores, 21.7 % (n = 222) as juniors,

20.0% (n = 205) as seniors, and 1.1% (n = 12) were classified as graduate students. Each

year of the study had a relatively even distribution of participants between college

classes. However, a less even distribution existed between the amount of surveys

collected in each year as the 44.8% (n = 459) of data was collected in 2009, 33.8 (n =

346) in 2010 and 21.4% (n = 219) in 2012.

College students who participated also had a wide variety of majors, including

ones that did not have any emphasis on social media. Because of the integration of

public relations and advertising in university curriculum across the country, students

majoring in public relations, advertising, and strategic communications were grouped

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and measured together. Overall, 40.3% of students (n = 409) had majors directly dealing

with strategic communications (e.g., public relations, advertising, etc.), and 59.7% (n =

606) did not. Despite the fact that the data was collected in the same classes over a

four-year period, the distribution in majors and non-majors varies. The first year of the

study had a relatively even distribution between majors and non-majors, with 48.5% (n

= 224) students majoring in strategic communications, and 51.5% (n = 238) not.

However, 2010 and 2012 did not have the same distribution. In 2010, more than two-

thirds (66.8%) of the students were strategic communication majors. In 2012, this

distribution of majors reversed and only 36.5% of participants were majoring in strategic

communications.

First, the authors tested the stated hypothesis, which expected majors in

strategic communications to perceive social media more positively than other college

students. This expectation arose from Wright and Hinson’s (2010) five-year study among

public relations professionals and the Lewis (2010) study among college students.

Attitudes on social media were analyzed by means of a two-way between-subjects

factorial ANOVA with three levels of year and two levels of major. All effects were found

to be statistically significant. The main effect of major showed that strategic

communication majors (µ = 3.72, SD = .017) had a more positive attitude on social

media than non-majors (µ = 3.60, SD = .013), (F (1, 978) = 31.703, p < .001, partial 2 =

.031), thus supporting H1. The main effect of year (F (2, 978) = 23.325, p < .001, partial

2 = .046) showed that 2009 participants (µ = 3.60, SD = .338), 2010 participants (µ =

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3.74, SD = .288), and 2012 participants (µ = 3.61, SD = .299), all had significantly differing

attitudes on social media. The interaction effect between year and major, (F (2, 978) =

2.761, p < .046, partial 2 = .006), was analyzed using simple effects analysis and the

Tukey HSD test. The relevant means can be seen in Table 1. The statistically significant

interaction was a function of majors indicating a higher social media score than non-

majors in all three years.

Table 1
Interaction of Year and Major on Attitudes Toward Social Media
2009 2010 2012
µ SD N µ SD N µ SD N
Major (1) 3.69 .348 219 3.80 .279 97 3.67 .323 79
Non-Major (2) 3.51 .302 233 3.72 .288 217 3.58 .305 139
Note. p < .05.

The authors then explored the influence of gender on attitudes toward social

media by means of a two-way between-subjects factorial ANOVA with three levels of

year and two levels of gender. Overall main effects indicated there were significant

differences between male (µ = 3.62, SD = .339) and female (µ = 3.67, SD = .302) opinions

on social media (F (1, 988) = 5.795, p < .016, partial 2 = .006). However, results

indicated that year and gender did not interact to have significant impact on attitudes

toward social media (F (1, 988) =.056 p > .946), with female participants in 2010 (µ =

3.76, SD = .285) having the most favorable opinion about social media, followed by 2010

males (µ = 3.70, SD = .287), 2012 females (µ =3.67, SD = .303), 2009 females (µ =3.62, SD

= .370), 2012 males (µ =3.61, SD = .339), and 2009 males (µ = 3.56, SD = .370).

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To explore the interaction of gender, major and year a 2 x 2 x 3 factoral ANOVA

indicated wasted to examine the interaction that gender, major, and year had on college

students’ attitudes. Results also indicated that all three variables interacted to have a

significant impact on college student’s attitudes toward social media, F (1, 957) = 4.486,

p < .012, partial 2 = .009. Female majors in 2010 had the most positive attitude toward

social media (µ = 3.85, SD = .359), with male non-majors in 2009 having the least

positive attitude (µ = 3.49, SD = .322). See the Table 2 for a breakdown. Thus, answering

RQ2 and RQ1.

Table 2
Interaction Of Gender, Major and Year on Social Media Attitudes
2009 2010 2012
µ SD N µ SD N µ SD N
Male Majors 3.69 .419 60 3.64 .307 21 3.73 .330 18
Non-majors 3.49 .322 111 3.73 .288 93 3.56 .326 85
Female Majors 3.69 .318 156 3.85 .359 74 3.65 .265 61
Non-majors 3.53 .288 273 3.70 .291 122 3.62 .269 51

Additionally, a one-way ANOVA comparing the mean scores of attitudes

between the school classifications (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, grad

student) indicated significant differences were found among the groups, F (1, 989) =

3.464, p < .008. See Table 3 for breakdown of relevant means. The results indicated that

seniors had attitudes toward social media (µ= 3.72, SD = .383), that were significantly

more positive than that of sophomores (µ = 3.61, SD = .349). However, there were no

significant differences in the attitudes of juniors (µ = 3.65, SD = .377), freshmen (µ =

3.64, SD = .339), or graduate students (µ = 3.63, SD = .286). Thus, answering RQ3. Next,

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to explore the relationship between students’ attitudes toward social media, time, and

years in school (RQ3), a between-subjects factorial ANOVA was calculated. Results

indicated no significant changes in the attitudes of freshman, sophomores, juniors, and

seniors between 2009, 2010, and 2012 (F (1, 980) = 1004., p > .427), thus, answering

RQ3 and RQ1.

Table 3
Interaction of Year and School Class on Attitudes Toward Social Media
2009 2010 2012
M SD N M SD N M SD N
Freshman 3.55 .303 115 3.73 .305 120 3.64 .259 60
Sophomores 3.53 .296 112 3.71 .264 103 3.58 .297 61
Junior 3.61 .357 104 3.80 .271 49 3.61 .293 66
Senior 3.71 .366 119 3.80 .297 48 3.62 .389 30
Grad Students - - 0 3.66 .234 11 3.63 .236 12

Since many universities are incorporating courses about social media into the

curriculum, the fourth research question examined the effect taking such a course had

on students’ attitudes toward social media. An independent samples t-Test indicated no

overall significant differences (t(631) = 1.843, p >.066) between those who have not

taken a class (µ = 3.67, SD = .300) and those who have (µ = 3.72, SD = .312). When this

was examined through a 3 (year) x 2 (social media class) factorial ANOVA examining the

impact that a course in social media might have on students’ attitudes, all effects were

found to be statistically significant. The main effect of social media class showed that

those who have taken classes (µ = 3.72, SD = .312) had a more positive attitude on social

media than those who had not (µ = 3.63, SD = .254), (F (1, 985) = 5.800, p < .001, partial

2 = .023). The main effect of year (F (2, 985) = 4.796, p < .008, partial 2 = .010) showed

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that 2009 participants (µ = 3.60, SD = .338), 2010 participants (µ = 3.74, SD = .286), and

2012 participants (µ = 3.61, SD = .299), all had significantly differing attitudes on social

media. The interaction effect between year and social media class, (F (2, 985) = 4.582, p

< .010, partial 2 = .009), was analyzed using simple effects analysis and the Tukey HSD

test. The relevant means can be seen in Table 4. The statistically significant interaction

was a function of those in a social media class indicating a higher social media score

than those who have not in all three years. Thus, answering RQ4.

Table 4
Interaction of Year and Social Media Class on Attitudes Toward Social Media
2009 2010 2012
µ SD N µ SD N µ SD N
SM Class 3.70 .336 110 3.84 .263 98 3.61 .284 101
No Class 3.57 .332 340 3.69 .263 218 3.63 .320 106
Note. p < .05.

The final research question (RQ5) examined how using social media as a primary

news source can influence participants’ attitude toward social media. A 3 (year) x 2

(Social Media as Primary News Source) factorial ANOVA examining the interaction of

variable indicated significant main effects with year and news source, but no interaction

effects. Overall main effect of social media class (F (2, 1005) = 31.191, p < .001, partial 2

= .030) indicated there were significant differences between those who use SM as a

primary news source (µ = 3.70, SD = .306) and those who don’t (µ= 3.58, SD = .319). The

main effect of year (F (2, 1005) = 19.430, p < .001, partial 2 = .037) showed that 2009

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participants (µ = 3.60, SD = .338), 2010 participants (µ = 3.74, SD = .286), and 2012

participants (µ = 3.61, SD = .299), all had significantly differing attitudes on social media.

Results indicated no significant interaction between year and social media as primary

resource on participants’ attitudes toward social media, (F (2, 1005) = .512, p < .599,

partial 2 = .001). Participants who used social media as a primary source for news in

2010 had the most positive attitudes toward social media (µ = 3.79, SD = .272), followed

by 2009 participants using social media as a primary resource (µ = 3.69, SD = .337), 2010

participants not using social media (µ = 3.60, SD = .287), 2012 participants using social

media (µ = 3.60, SD = .285), 2009 participants not using social media (µ = 3.54, SD =

.325), and 2012 participants not using social media as a primary news source (µ = 3.58,

SD = .319). Thus answering RQ5 and RQ1.

Discussion and Conclusions

The aim of this study was to examine whether college students’ attitudes and

perceptions of social media are affected by curriculum and whether their attitudes have

changed over time. The findings in this study suggest that strategic communications

curriculum does have an impact on college students’ attitudes and perceptions of social

media. As the data indicated, students majoring in strategic communications had

significantly more positive attitudes toward social media than other majors in all three

years surveyed. When taken as a whole, strategic communications majors report more

positive attitudes toward social media than students majoring in other areas. These

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findings indicate that education and communities of practice have an impact on

opinions of social media, which suggest that majors have a better understanding of

using social media as a tool.

As with the previous two studies, the results indicate gender had a significant

impact on attitudes toward social media. Overall, females appear to have a more

positive attitude toward social media than males. Attitudes toward social media were

the highest among both females and males in 2010 and the lowest in 2009, suggesting

that the novelty of social media is starting to wane and the excitement is leveling off.

Wright and Hinson (2012) report that mean scores have increased each year between

2008 and 2012 in their longitudinal study of public relations practitioners’ attitudes

toward social media. It will be interesting to see if this will start to level off among

practitioners as the results from the current study suggest they have among college

students.

Year in school was also found to have an impact on attitudes toward social media

among college students. Seniors reported the most favorable attitudes toward social

media, which also supports that education plays a role in students’ ability to see the

value of social media as a strategic communications tool. In addition, students who had

taken a course on social media reported significantly more favorable attitudes toward

attitudes than students who had not taken a social media course. The impact of

educational classification and exposure to a social media course did not change

significantly over time.

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Similar to the first two studies, overall main effects suggest participants in this

study who use social media as a primary news source rated social media significantly

more positively than those who do not use social media as a primary news source. This

finding can be explained by the communities of practice theory that maintains

engagement “implies a sustained intensity and relations of mutuality” (Wenger, 1999, p.

184). The more engaged with social media that students become––particularly from a

strategic perspective––the more likely they are to see the value in it. As with gender,

attitudes toward social media in 2010 were overall more positive than in 2009 and 2012

whether the participant had taken classes in social media or not. This suggests that

positive attitudes may have peaked in 2010 among college students, but obviously more

research is necessary to fully support the notion.

In his book Communities of Practice, Wenger (1998) maintains that we not only

know who we are by what is familiar, but also we know who we are not by what is

unfamiliar. Our identities are produced through the practices we engage in, but we also

define ourselves through practices we do not engage in. This notion of identity helps to

explain the findings in the current study. The mix of participation and non-participation

through which we define our identities is better understood through the concepts of

peripherality and marginality (Wenger, 1998). With peripherality, nonparticipation is an

opportunity for learning. For example, newcomers’ participation in the community of

practice may be peripheral, but the expectation of full participation is not a goal or an

expectation in this stage as a newcomer. In this study, participation is defined as actively

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using social media, and the community of practice is strategic communications. Because

students’ participation and non-participation is peripheral, they are open to the

opportunity for learning.

These findings suggest by providing situated learning environments that engage

students in meaningful strategic communications practices, students will likely be

excited to see how they can use social media tools—that they have adopted for

personal use and entertainment—in their careers. For example, utilizing a blog/social

network platform for teaching enables collaborative learning in a real world

environment while improving student’s writing and communication skills. Social media

cannot be avoided; they are tools to be leveraged in education and in practice. Since

social media are having a tremendous impact on strategic communications practice,

educators in strategic communications need to determine the appropriate methods to

generate enthusiasm, maximize learning, and leverage the power of social media tools

both in and out of the classroom in order to help our students prepare for their careers.

As with any research, this study has several limitations. As mentioned earlier, the

difference in sample sizes from 2009 to 2010 to 2012 were a limitation in this study. The

researchers were able to collect a larger sample in 2009. And while respondents in 2009

were relatively even distributed among major and school classification, this was not the

case in the 2010 sample. There were more non-majors than majors, as well as more

freshman and sophomores than juniors and seniors, in the 2010 and 2012 studies. This

could have had an impact on the longitudinal findings.

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Despite the limitations this study further supports Lewis’ 2009 study and Lewis

and Nichols’ 2010 study, which both maintain that education is the key to students’

appreciation for social media as a tool in the strategic communications toolbox. In

addition, this study echoes Wright and Hinson’s research that demonstrates that

attitudes toward social media among PR professionals are becoming more positive over

time as social media are becoming more prolific in general and utilized more often in

the communications field.

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