Investigating A Method to Modify Student Social Media Behavior

Empirically validated interventions designed to modify student social media behavior are lacking. The current study was undertaken to design and test the effectiveness of just such an intervention. Students, acting in the role of hiring managers, were asked to rank job candidates based on their resumes and social media profiles. The goal of the intervention was to get students to see how social media and posting behavior can negatively affect future employability. Through a better understanding of the relationship between social media and employability, it was hoped that students would modify their own posting behavior. Although the intervention was not found to be effective, the results of the quasi-experiment provide insights that can be used to develop and test future interventions. Of particular interest were the students’ diverse and sometimes surprising assumptions about social media usage and how it may be evaluated in a professional context