Date
11-13-2025
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)
Chair
Allison Brake
Keywords
higher-education, qualitative, social media, theory of interactive media effects
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Mikel, Bobby, "Exploring Student Perceptions of Higher-Education Social Media Presence: A Qualitative Descriptive Study Through the Lens of the Theory of Interactive Media Effects" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7597.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7597
Abstract
As higher-education institutions (HEIs) compete for prospective students in an increasingly saturated digital environment, effective communication on social media has become both essential and challenging. Guided by the cybernetic communication tradition and the theory of interactive media effects (TIME), this qualitative descriptive study explored how students perceived and engaged with social media content produced by HEIs. The study utilized a qualitative survey to explore students’ perceptions of social media content produced by an HEI in the southeastern United States. Additionally, a content analysis of social media posts was conducted to examine how the HEI engages with students. Findings revealed that students preferred Instagram as the most effective platform for institutional messaging, with liking and sharing posts as the primary forms of interaction. The Instagram posts with the most interaction included posts with people such as student life activities followed by athletic-themed content. These insights offer valuable direction for HEIs seeking to refine their social media strategies to better connect with their target audience.
