By Dave DeFusco
In a world increasingly shaped by digital interactions, social media has emerged as a vital platform for students to express themselves, form connections and build a sense of belonging. At the Katz School鈥檚 Graduate Symposium on Science, Technology and Health, Sagarika Shrestha, a graduate of the M.S. in Digital Marketing and Media, explored how social media platforms function as informal 鈥渢hird places鈥 where students cultivate identity and community beyond the confines of home and classroom in her study, 鈥淏eyond the Classroom: Shaping Student Identity Online.鈥
鈥淪ocial media is more than just a communication tool鈥攊t鈥檚 a cultural space,鈥 said Shrestha. 鈥淚t鈥檚 where students laugh together, share triumphs and setbacks, celebrate their heritage and discover how they fit into the academic and social landscape of their university.鈥
Drawing on sociologist Ray Oldenburg鈥檚 1991 concept of 鈥渢hird places鈥濃攊nformal, inclusive spaces that foster community and civic life鈥擲hrestha鈥檚 research brings this framework into the digital age.
鈥淲e wanted to understand how platforms like Instagram and TikTok function not just as tools, but as environments,鈥 she said. 鈥淰irtual third places can have the same emotional and social importance as coffee shops or student lounges once did.鈥
Supported by her faculty advisor Joseph Panzarella, director of the M.S. in Digital Marketing and Media, Shrestha conducted a detailed survey targeting a diverse student population, with special focus on international students, a group often underrepresented in both social media content and academic studies of online engagement.
鈥淭his research is timely and essential,鈥 said Panzarella. 鈥淯niversities are working hard to be more inclusive but without intentionality in digital spaces, many students still feel invisible. Sagarika鈥檚 work gives us data鈥攁nd more importantly, a narrative鈥攖hat institutions can act on.鈥
Among the study鈥檚 most striking insights is the sheer reach and influence of social media among students:
- 91% of survey respondents follow their university鈥檚 official social media accounts.
- Instagram emerged as the dominant platform, used by 65.4% of students, with 43.6% engaging multiple times a week.
- Students were most interested in content about campus events (80.3%) and academic updates (61.8%), suggesting a strong appetite for meaningful, school-related content.
However, the data also revealed a clear representation gap: Only 18.2% of students felt adequately represented on university social media, a statistic that becomes more troubling when paired with anecdotal evidence from international students who often struggle to see their cultures, languages or experiences reflected online.
鈥淢any students said they felt like observers rather than participants in the university鈥檚 online identity,鈥 said Shrestha 鈥淭hey wanted to engage, but didn鈥檛 see themselves in the content.鈥
The study found that social media is especially vital for international students, who may rely on digital channels to access resources and stay connected due to time zone differences, language barriers or limited in-person interaction. Fully 51.9% of students said social media was 鈥渧ery effective鈥 for accessing updates, while 42.6% expressed concerns about privacy, particularly around commenting or engaging publicly on school content.
鈥淚nternational students use social media not just for fun, but to survive and succeed,鈥 said Shrestha. 鈥淭hey depend on it for information, community and reassurance.鈥
Shrestha and Panzarella believe universities can no longer treat social media as simply a marketing tool or a newsfeed. Instead, they must intentionally design content ecosystems that reflect and empower the student population.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about representation and responsiveness,鈥 said Panzarella. 鈥淎re we showing all kinds of students? Are we giving them tools to engage meaningfully鈥攏ot just heart emojis and hashtags, but real participation? This work challenges us to think differently. Digital is not a distraction from student life鈥攊t is student life.鈥
