Social Media Survey Analysis at Conestoga College

This report analyzes the social media usage among students at Conestoga College and provides insights on the effectiveness of social media communication at the college. The report includes findings on the popularity of social media sites, interaction with Conestoga College social media accounts, account visits, interest in information, and usefulness of information. The report concludes with issues and opportunities for improving social media communication at the college.

Letter of Transmittal
Name,
P.O. Box,
City,
12th-December-2018.
Vice President (VP),
Student Services,
Conestoga College,
Dear Sir/Madam
RE: SURVEY ANALYSIS
I am writing this letter to inform on the findings on the analysis of the data from the
social media survey at Conestoga College.
Please find attached the report on the findings from the analysis of the survey data.
Yours Sincerely,
Name

SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY
REPORT ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AMONG STUDENTS AT CONESTOGA
COLLEGE
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SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY
Executive Summary
This research investigates the social media usage among students at Conestoga
College. This is achieved by conducting a survey and analyzing the data collected from
the survey.
Through the analysis of the data from the survey, we are able to determine the
effectiveness of social media as a communication channel at the college. The findings
will provide information on the issues and opportunities that arise from social media
communication at the college.
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Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................................5
Current Situation....................................................................................................................................6
Social Media Sites’ Popularity.........................................................................................................6
Interaction with Conestoga College Social Media Accounts...................................................7
Account Visits.....................................................................................................................................7
Interest in Information.......................................................................................................................8
Usefulness of Information................................................................................................................8
Conclusion (Issues and Opportunities)............................................................................................9
APPENDIX..............................................................................................................................................10
References.............................................................................................................................................14
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SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY
Introduction
The rise in the popularity of social media has made it a reliable channel for
communications. The various developments and innovations in social media has
allowed it to gain recognition and acceptance in official communication (Auer, 2011).
Social media has found wide application in institutions of higher education. This is
attributed to the high usage of social media among students, thus making it a more
effective mode of communication for the institutions (Fuchs, 2012). The notices or
conversations that the administration wishes to communicate to and have with the
students have a far better reach on social media as opposed to the traditional modes.
This acceptance has made social media usage among students, in these institutions of
higher learning, an issue of interest. The information available from this usage of social
media can provide an indication of the effectiveness of a particular social media site as
a channel for communication (Piskorski, 2014).
This paper focuses on the social media usage in Conestoga College. The aim is to
establish the nature of the use of social media among students at the college. The
results would provide valuable information and insights on the effectiveness of the
college’s social media accounts in communicating with the students.
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SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY
Current Situation
Social Media Sites’ Popularity
The popularity of the Social Media Sites’ is assessed by observing the multiple daily
usage of the sites among students. The survey on social media usage among students
at Conestoga College in APPENDIX produce the results in the chart below:
Instagram Youtube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Popularity Based on Multiple Daily Usage
Figure 1: Popularity Based on Multiple Daily Usage
The plot in Figure 1: Popularity Based on Multiple Daily Usage above shows that among
the five social media sites (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn)
considered in the survey, Instagram is most popular social media site among the
students at Conestoga College. It is followed by YouTube and Facebook. Twitter and
LinkedIn are the least popular social media sites in the college.
The popularity of the social media sites can also be observed using the percentage of
unpopularity. This information can be obtained by looking at the data, from the survey
results in the APPENDIX, on the percentage of students that never use a given social
media site.
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SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY
Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram YouTube
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Unpopularity Level
Figure 2: Unpopularity Based on Usage
From the plot in Figure 2: Unpopularity Based on Usage, Twitter is the most unpopular
social media site followed by LinkedIn. On the other hand, YouTube is the least
unpopular social media site together with Instagram and Facebook.
Generally, the two results above are similar in that Twitter and LinkedIn are the least
popular and most unpopular. YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are the most popular
and least unpopular, which are similar to results in (Agozzino, 2012)
Interaction with Conestoga College Social Media Accounts
From the survey results in APPENDIX, most students interacted with the Instagram
account of Conestoga College followed by their Facebook account. The students’
interaction with the YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts was however significantly
low. Student interaction with the accounts of their educational institution differ
depending on the social media site (Blankenship, 2011).
Account Visits
The results from the analysis of the survey in APPENDIX indicate that the most visited
social media account of Conestoga College is their Facebook account. This is followed
closely by their Instagram account then their YouTube account. The least visited
accounts are their LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. An institution’s social media account
visited by a student is highly dependent on whether their social circle uses the particular
platform often (Pulido, Redondo-Sama, Sorde-Marti, & Flecha, 2018).
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Interest in Information
The pie chart below presents the information on the level of interest the students have
on the content shared on the Conestoga College’s social media accounts.
Percentage Interest
Very Interested Somewhat Interested Not Sure
Somewhat Uninterested Not Interested At All
Figure 3: Percentage Interest
From the results in the plot in Figure 3: Percentage Interest above, we observe that a
significantly large percentage of the students are interested in the content shared
college’s social media accounts.
Usefulness of Information
The pie chart below presents the information on the level of usefulness of the content
shared on the Conestoga College’s social media accounts according to the students’
opinion.
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Percentage Usefulness
Very Useful Somewhat useful Not Sure
Not Very Useful Not At All Useful
Figure 4: Percentage Usefulness
From the results in the plot in Figure 4: Percentage Usefulness above, a significantly
large number of student find the content shared on the college’s social media accounts
useful.
Conclusion (Issues and Opportunities)
In summary, one main issue arises from the analysis of the survey results. This was the
low percentages of visits to the college’s social media accounts as compared to the
percentages of interactions with the college’s social media accounts.
It can be assumed that the percentage of interaction with a particular social media
account for the college would translate to a similar percentage in visits to the account.
This is however not the case with the results from the survey.
We can also conclude that YouTube presents the best opportunity for improving the
effectiveness of social media communication at the college. Despite being among the
most popular social media sites among students, at number two in most popular and
number one in least unpopular, it ranks a distant third in the interaction percentage. This
implies that a lot of the students that have YouTube accounts are not aware of the
existence of Conestoga College’s YouTube account. Hence, there is an opportunity to
create awareness of the existence of the YouTube account and reach these students.
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APPENDIX
Social Media Survey
(72 responses)
1. How often do you use these Social Media platforms?
Facebook
Multiple times a day 34 (47.22 %)
At least once a day 14 (19.44 %)
3-5 times a week 5 (6.94 %)
At least once a week 2 (2.78 %)
3-5 times a month 3 (4.17 %)
3-5 times a month 0 (0 %)
Less than once a month 1 (1.39 %)
Never 13 (18.06 %)
Twitter
Multiple times a day 4 (5.56 %)
At least once a day 3 (4.17 %)
3-5 times a week 5 (6.94 %)
At least once a week 3 (4.17 %)
3-5 times a month 3 (4.17 %)
3-5 times a month 3 (4.17 %)
Less than once a month 4 (5.56 %)
Never 47 (65.28 %)
Instagram
Multiple times a day 47 (65.28 %)
At least once a day 9 (12.5 %)
3-5 times a week 4 (5.56 %)
At least once a week 1 (1.39 %)
3-5 times a month 0 (0 %)
3-5 times a month 0 (0 %)
Less than once a month 3 (4.17 %)
Never 8 (11.11 %)
YouTube
Multiple times a day 44 (61.11 %)
At least once a day 14 (19.44 %)
3-5 times a week 6 (8.33 %)
At least once a week 2 (2.78 %)
3-5 times a month 3 (4.17 %)
3-5 times a month 1 (1.39 %)
Less than once a month 2 (2.78 %)
Never 0 (0 %)
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LinkedIn
Multiple times a day 2 (2.78 %)
At least once a day 4 (5.56 %)
3-5 times a week 3 (4.17 %)
At least once a week 5 (6.94 %)
3-5 times a month 3 (4.17 %)
3-5 times a month 4 (5.56 %)
Less than once a month 9 (12.5 %)
Never 42 (58.33 %)
2. Which of these social media platforms do you follow, connect to or are friends with
Conestoga College social media platforms?
Facebook 53 (73.61 %)
Twitter 7 (9.72 %)
Instagram 57 (79.17 %)
YouTube 17 (23.61 %)
LinkedIn 9 (12.5 %)
3. How often do you visit these Conestoga College social media platforms?
Facebook
Multiple times a day 14 (19.44 %)
At least once a day 12 (16.67 %)
3-5 times a week 4 (5.56 %)
At least once a week 7 (9.72 %)
3-5 times a month 4 (5.56 %)
3-5 times a month 2 (2.78 %)
Less than once a month 6 (8.33 %)
Never 23 (31.94 %)
Twitter
Multiple times a day 1 (1.39 %)
At least once a day 1 (1.39 %)
3-5 times a week 4 (5.56 %)
At least once a week 5 (6.94 %)
3-5 times a month 4 (5.56 %)
3-5 times a month 0 (0 %)
Less than once a month 2 (2.78 %)
Never 55 (76.39 %)
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Instagram
Multiple times a day 13 (18.06 %)
At least once a day 13 (18.06 %)
3-5 times a week 4 (5.56 %)
At least once a week 11 (15.28 %)
3-5 times a month 4 (5.56 %)
3-5 times a month 4 (5.56 %)
Less than once a month 4 (5.56 %)
Never 19 (26.39 %)
YouTube
Multiple times a day 10 (13.89 %)
At least once a day 7 (9.72 %)
3-5 times a week 8 (11.11 %)
At least once a week 7 (9.72 %)
3-5 times a month 6 (8.33 %)
3-5 times a month 8 (11.11 %)
Less than once a month 6 (8.33 %)
Never 20 (27.78 %)
LinkedIn
Multiple times a day 3 (4.17 %)
At least once a day 3 (4.17 %)
3-5 times a week 1 (1.39 %)
At least once a week 1 (1.39 %)
3-5 times a month 4 (5.56 %)
3-5 times a month 1 (1.39 %)
Less than once a month 5 (6.94 %)
Never 54 (75 %)
4. How would you rate your interest in the information that Conestoga College provides
through their social media platforms?
Very interested 38 (52.78 %)
Somewhat interested 20 (27.78 %)
Not sure 9 (12.5 %)
Somewhat uninterested 4 (5.56 %)
Not interested at all 1 (1.39 %)
5. How would you rate the information that Conestoga College provides through their
social media platforms?
Very useful 42 (58.33 %)
Somewhat useful 18 (25 %)
Not sure 11 (15.28 %)
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Not very useful 1 (1.39 %)
Not at all useful 0 (0 %)
References
Agozzino, A. (2012). Building a Personal Relationship Through Social Media: A Study of
Millenial Students's Brand Engagement. Ohio Communication Journal, 528-543.
50(1).
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Auer, M. R. (2011). The Policy Sciences of Social Media. Policy Sciences, 709-736.
39(4).
Blankenship, M. (2011). How Social Media Can and Should Impact Higher Education.
Education Digest, 39. 76(7).
Fuchs, C. (2012). Social Media: A Critical Introduction. London: Sage.
Piskorski, M. J. (2014). A Social Strategy: How We Profit from Social Media. Princeton,
New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Pulido, C. M., Redondo-Sama, G., Sorde-Marti, T., & Flecha, R. (2018). Social Impact in
Social Media: A New Method to Evaluate the Social Impact of Research. PLoS
One, 1-7. 13(8).
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