Gillian P. Foss, MA is a doctoral student in the Higher Education Administration program at Louisiana State University. Her research interests include higher education law and policy, with an increasing focus on First Amendment protections for campus stakeholders.
Phillip J. Fox, PhD is Director and Associate Professor of English at Goodwin University. He has written a textbook titled Discover the Writer in You.
Sam Glaab-Lanigan, MSEd earned a graduate degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Northern Illinois University in 2020. She worked throughout her college career to grow into a social justice advocate.
LaKisha Grant-Washington, EdD is a Psychology Instructor at Tunxis Community College. She has experience working in the human/social services and education sectors.
Tara M. Hart, EdD is an Associate Director at Angelo State University. She has served in the areas of admissions, residence life, student involvement, student conduct, student transition, student retention, and administrative leadership.
Kimberly D. Hellerich, EdD is a high school English teacher. Her doctoral research examined the relationships between social support during adolescence and resilience in trauma-affected adults.
Chandra Herring-Morrow, EdD is a Literacy Facilitator in Charlotte, NC. Her focus is on teacher retention in hard-to-staff, Title I schools.
Kathryn S. Jaekel, PhD is an Assistant Professor in Higher Education and a faculty associate for the Center for Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Northern Illinois University. Jaekel’s research centers on the experiences of queer and trans college students as well as teaching and learning in higher education.
Randy Laist, PhD is a Professor of English at Goodwin University. He is the author of The Twin Towers in Film: A Cinematic History of New York’s World Trade Center and Cinema of Simulation: Hyperreal Hollywood in the Long 1990s. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Catherine G. Molleno, MS is a PhD student in the Educational Leadership and Research program at Louisiana State University with a specialization in higher education. Her research interests include college access, community college, student success, advocacy, bridge programs, first-generation students, and immigrant college students.
Linda Nozart-Frierson, MPH, RRT, AF-C is the Administrative Director of an Asthma Education Program in the NYC Health + Hospitals system. She is also the Director of Operations for Noz Health Ed LLC., a healthcare consultant business.
Kristina M. Perrelli, PhD is the Director of New Student Programs at the University of Rhode Island and part-time faculty in the University’s School of Education. Her research interests include exploring the experiences of pregnant and parenting college students, intersectional feminism, social justice in student affairs, and qualitative methodologies.
Luz Rodriguez, MSEd earned a graduate degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Northern Illinois University in 2020. Her work centered on student organization and involvement in higher education.
Joi Sampson, MS is an Associate Director at a private college in New York. She is pursuing a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership at Manhattanville College.
Zaiah Sampson is a third-year undergraduate student studying Computer Art and Design at Mercy College.
Cheyenne Seymour, EdD is an Assistant Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences at Bronx Community College. Her areas of research include social media, rhetoric, and public speaking.
Carlton Smith, MEd is a doctoral student in the College Student Affairs Administration (CSAA-D) doctoral program at the University of Georgia with research interests centering on the intersections and linkages of social media and sense of belonging within marginalized communities.
Jacquie B. Smith, JD is a special needs advocate. She produced and moderated the documentary Deinstitutionalization and Community Integration: The Long Road for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (2015). She is also the author of two novels, All I Need (2001) and The House on Monroe Street (2009).
Kharoll-Ann Souffrant, MSW is a PhD candidate in Social Work at the University of Ottawa. Her doctoral thesis focuses on the #MeToo and #BeenRapedNeverReported social movements from the perspective of Black female survivors of sexual assault living in the province of Quebec.
Jennifer van Alstyne, MA, MFA is a communications strategist for faculty and researchers and owner of The Academic Designer LLC. She is a Peruvian-American poet and independent scholar.
Michael R. Williams, EdD is the Assistant Director of the Student Success Center at Virginia Tech and serves as the Scholar in Residence for the NASPA Men & Masculinity Knowledge Community. His scholarship focuses on Black masculine identity development, social media content, and social justice implementation methods.
Tyjuana Wilson, MA is studying to earn a PhD in Communications at Regent University. She is a freelance copywriter, blogger, and host of the podcast “Single and Happy in Charlotte.”
Lisa M. Wisniewski, EdD is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and a Universal Design for Learning trained Teaching Fellow at Goodwin University. She has published on early career development and has a growing expertise on Millennials and Gen Z in the workplace.
Thomas Witherspoon, EdD is the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Whitman College. As senior leadership, he supports students, faculty, and staff in building capacity for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Biography
Cheyenne Seymour
Cheyenne Seymour, EdD is an Assistant Professor of Communication Arts &Sciences at Bronx Community College. Her areas of research include social media, rhetoric, and public speaking. Dr. Seymour is an experienced television news producer with a passion for sharing information that can positively impact individuals and communities. She has earned a Doctorate of Education from New England College, a Master of Arts in English from Trinity College, and a dual Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Arts from Long Island University. Dr. Seymour enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures.
Introduction
Pervasiveness of Social Media in Higher Education
Many things come to mind when we are asked to think of higher education. Some immediately envision lecture halls, fast food, fraternities, pep rallies, parties, caps, and gowns. However, these days social media is as much a part of college life as homework. Over the last two decades, the percentage of college-aged individuals posting, following, and sharing online has constantly risen. In 2005, 7% of 18 to 29 year olds were using social media; five years later, that number grew exponentially to 76%; by 2019, 90% of people in this age group were using social media platforms to connect (Pew Research Center 2019a). Many modern-day college students belong to the group known as digital natives, due to growing up in a world with the existence of digital technology (Prensky 2001, p. 1). Undergraduates and graduate students’ lifelong relationship with electronic devices and digital media creates famriliarity with technology and in turn, enables many to comfortably use social media as a vehicle for culture, news, entertainment, and relationships.
Social media is a form of computer-mediated communication. When joining a social network, individuals create profiles that enable them to utilize the platform by viewing, creating, and sharing content. These Web 2.0 applications rely on user-generated content and allow people to build personalized networks in which they can exchange text, images, and videos.
Although social media is popular with college-aged adults, not all are racing to create profiles on the same platforms. Social networks vary in popularity depending on the age of the user. However, Facebook is favored by a wide range of age groups. Just over three quarters of 18 to 24 year olds have Facebook accounts (Pew Research Center 2019b). Co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Eduardo Saverin in 2004, Facebook began as a network designed exclusively for college