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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Personality and Social Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1485663
This article is part of the Research Topic Personal Competences in the Academic and Work Environment: Advancing Towards Psychological Wellbeing View all 8 articles

Social Media Use and Job Choices: The Mediating Roles of Work Values and Self-Efficacy

Provisionally accepted
Fei Li Fei Li 1*Minxuan Shi Minxuan Shi 2*Ran Feng Ran Feng 2
  • 1 Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, China
  • 2 Hohai University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study examines the association between social media use and college students' employment choices,focusing on the roles of work values and self-efficacy as mediating factors. A survey of 254 college students in Anhui Province showed that social media users tended to have more flexible and diverse employment options than non-users. Regression analyses demonstrated a positive association between social media use and employment decisions, with work values and self-efficacy identified as mediating factors in this relationship. Notably, self-efficacy was found to enhanced the association between work values and students' employment choices.These findings suggest that fostering students' self-efficacy enhances the positive impact of work values, emphasizing the need for career guidance to encourage appropriate use of social media while avoiding over-reliance. This study provides valuable insights into promoting full employment among college students by considering the role of social media in shaping their career decisions.

    Keywords: Social Media, college students, Job choice, work values, self-efficacy

    Received: 24 Aug 2024; Accepted: 30 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Shi and Feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Fei Li, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, China
    Minxuan Shi, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.