Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

The Effect of Social Media on Academic Performance with Relation to Anxiety

Richardson Ballroom – DiGiorgio Campus Center

With approximately 90% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 using some form of social media, the effect that social media has on many facets of life, including academics, is incredibly important for understanding this demographic. Lau (2016) found that non-academic social media use negatively predicts GPA among undergraduate students. While this research indicates that social media use has the potential to have negative effects on academic performance, it doesn’t explore why this negative correlation exists. This study examined whether social media withdrawal relates to academic performance and anxiety. Participants were 31 Winthrop University students. Participants were assigned to either the “with phone” or the “without phone” condition and were asked to post an image of themselves on a social media site of their choosing. The reading comprehension section of SAT Practice Test 8 was used to measure academic performance, and a self-report scale was used to measure feelings of anxiety during the experiment. Contrary to prediction, there were no significant differences between the “with phone” and the “without phone” groups, indicating that withdrawal from social media usage does not cause worsened academic performance or more feelings of anxiety. These results can help teachers and parents to make informed decisions about separating their students from technology, knowing that there are not any negative effects on academic performance when students are separated from their social media.