A Qualitative Study on Social Media Overload and Learning Engagement of Undergraduate Students

Abstract

In the context of higher education, learning engagement is a critical factor influencing meaningful learning and academic performance, and it is frequently disrupted by social media interference, which has become a prevalent phenomenon. This study aims to explore the impact of social media overload on learning engagement through semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted with 18 undergraduate students’ participants from China. The interview data was analyzed using NVivo 14.0 software. The results reveal a significant correlation between social media overload and learning engagement. Undergraduate students can't learn knowledge and acquire life skills without social media, and excessive use of them will take up a lot of time and reduce the time and energy invested in learning. Moreover, undergraduate students regard recreational activities (including games) on social media as a kind of rest, which has cognitive bias. When they feel the conflict between entertainment and study, they can exert their subjective ability, and to a certain extent, they can adjust with willpower belief and time pressure, so as to complete their study and life goals. The study highlights the importance of effectively managing social media usage among undergraduate students to enhance their learning performance.