Congratulations to Caroline (nee Washington) Haack who on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, successfully defended her dissertation. The title of Caroline’s dissertation is: "SOCIAL MEDIA AND ADOLESCENCE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PEER GROUP DYNAMICS FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE."
Caroline (nee Washington) Haack successfully defended her dissertation: a qualitative study of college students’ reflections on their social media use during high school and college. Drawing upon Leon Festinger’s Social Comparison Theory, this interpretive inquiry sought to understand the role that social media plays on students' well-being and identify college students’ shifting comparison groups from high school to college. This study utilized semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 14 college students who used and use social media daily. Data analysis revealed four themes: 1) Connection: Use It to Stay Connected; 2) Isolation: It’s Very Isolating, 3) Comparison: I’m Not Good Enough, and 4) Maturity: Get out into the Real World. Paradoxically, social media is both a tool for connecting with others and maintaining relationships with friends and family, while social media can also exacerbate feelings of loneliness through exclusion from peer groups. Findings further illuminated that social media is a platform for comparison whether it is comparison of one’s physical appearance, body image, or achievements. Finally, findings suggested that as adolescents grow into young adults, their perception of social media’s relevance shifts and they start to limit their social media use, focus on in-person relationships and are less focused on gaining validation from others on social media. This study concluded with recommendations for policymakers to drive policies and procedures that best support children as they develop into young adults in this digital world.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR(S):
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBER(S):
Dr. Robert Feirsen
Dr. Elizabeth Keren-Kolb
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