Exploring the Impact of Online Social Platforms on Social Connectedness Among UC Berkeley Undergraduates

With social media's prevalence in recent decades, the relationship between social media and the well-being of its users has always been under debate—with some believing that social media tends to have a negative impact and others believing that social media has a positive impact. This systematic review aims to determine how social media contributes to feelings of social isolation or connectedness among college students at the University of California, Berkeley.We conducted a university-wide survey to determine how college students feel about using social media. Using cluster analysis and the data analysis program R, we determined that most college students feel socially connected while using social media. While some past research articles support this theory, most do not discuss the ways in which college students generally tend to feel socially connected on social media platforms. Our paper explores specific factors contributing to college students’ social connectedness on various social media platforms.