First-Year Students' Use of Social Network Sites to Reduce the Uncertainty of Anticipatory Socialization

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Author(s): Anderson, I. K. , Lerstrom, A., & Tintle, N.

Citation: Anderson, I. K. , Lerstrom, A., & Tintle, N. (2014). First-Year Students' Use of Social Network Sites to Reduce the Uncertainty of Anticipatory Socialization. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 26(1), 101-121.

 

Abstract

This study surveyed 399 incoming first-year students at two colleges in the Midwest on their use of social network sites before college entry and its impact on various dimensions of the first-year experience. Significant correlations were found for two pairs of variables: (a) students who used social network sites before arriving on campus reported greater roommate compatibility than students who did not use such sites and (b) students who rated the information on social network sites as high in accuracy also reported a high match between their first-year expectations and experiences. Implications for student affairs administrators are discussed.

 

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