Shared social media and changing networks in rural families ^{CEFR A2}

Researchers compared 500 undergraduate students with one of their parents, creating 500 student–parent pairs and 1,000 participants in total. The students attended one large public Midwestern university and were identified as rural by their ZIP code at application. Students and parents answered a survey about personal network diversity, social media use and social tolerance.

The study found that going to university is linked with meeting more diverse acquaintances and with greater tolerance. Social media was generally linked to wider, more diverse networks and more acceptance. But when students and parents used the same platforms, results were mixed: some students had less diverse networks, while parents who shared platforms often had more racially and ethnically diverse networks. The researchers say long-term effects are not yet known.