Name: Vishakha Kamal
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume-11, Issue-1, January-June 2026
Page Number: 968-979
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22763300

Social media has become an integral part of university students’ everyday communication, information seeking, peer interaction and academic engagement. Platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp and LinkedIn can support collaborative learning, access to educational resources and rapid exchange of academic information, but they can also contribute to distraction, time loss, misinformation, privacy concerns and social comparison. This study examines the influence of social media on academic behaviour among university students in Uttar Pradesh, India. A quantitative cross-sectional design is presented using an illustrative sample of 180 students. The study analyses frequency and purposes of social media use, academic engagement, peer learning, information seeking, time management and critical evaluation. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-test, chi-square, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation are incorporated. The illustrative results indicate frequent social-media use and a generally positive contribution to information seeking and peer learning, alongside substantial concerns about distraction and time management. Urban–rural, government/public–private and income-wise comparisons are included to identify possible inequalities in digital learning experiences. A Women’s Empowerment Index is also incorporated to examine gender-sensitive outcomes related to confidence, voice, participation and access to academic information. The paper concludes that social media should be integrated into higher education through purposeful academic use, digital literacy, time-management support, media verification and responsible institutional policies.

Keywords: Social Media, Academic Behaviour, University Students, Digital Learning, Student Engagement, Information Seeking, Women’s Empowerment, Uttar Pradesh