96% of American students are active on Facebook and one in three use social media for educational purposes, according to a new report. 

The survey looking at the impact social media has on the lives of students was conducted by www.onlineeducation.net, a resource designed to help prospective students learn about degree programmes in the U.S.A. 

Some of the most notable facts in the survey include: 

• 96% of students use Facebook
• Almost half of all students on Facebook consider themselves sadder than their friends
• Grades are positively affected by collaborative work online
• “Facebook Addiction” is searched 350x more than “Cigarette Addiction”
• Social media users feel more “connected to their institution”
• 1 in 3 students use social media for educational purposes 

Although the survey was carried out on American students, Nick Tellwright, chairman of Twin Group, feels that the results mirror the attitudes of students in the UK towards social media. 

Mr Tellwright said: “Facebook started on college and university campuses, so students have always been early adopters of social media, for academic and personal use. The new wave of academic organisations with twitter and facebook accounts such as UCAS and the NUS show that students expect to receive information about academic life through social media sources. 

Twin is currently looking at how we can use social media platforms like facebook, twitter and flickr to engage with our students more effectively.” 

Posted by Caroline Fox

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