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Social Media’s Impact on Recreation

Tahiz Almodovar, Joe Bagala, Michael Woods, Madelyn Plenskofski,​​Tyler Riccomini

Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, The Pennsylvania State University

RPTM: 433W

Dr. Black Reed

December 13th, 2023

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Social Media's Impact on Recreation

Our topic relates to recreation along with social media and technology focusing on 18-25

year olds. Recreation is defined as any activity done while one is not working, especially

activities such as sports, performance arts, outdoor pursuits and more. We find recreation to be

vital to individuals lives as it allows them to find their passions, stay healthy and enjoy life

outside of work. We are interested in the way that modern social media and technology impact

the field of recreation. Through our research questions we hope to learn how humans can

embrace social media and technology to better the recreation industry or at least understand what

role it plays in 2023 and beyond. Social media has become intertwined in all aspects of life

therefore we feel it is important to see its impact on recreation.

Madelyn → Has the negative impact of social media and tourism, like congestion and

pollution in overcrowded areas, trumped the positive stimulation it brings to the

community?

While looking at the impact of social media on the tourism industry, it seems to have both

its advantages and disadvantages. This is an important thing to consider in the industry because

of how mainstream social media really is. Pretty much everyone has access to it 24/7, and it has

done nothing but continue to develop and progress as time goes on. The impacts can vary widely,

but for this research the focus is on the more negative aspects. These negative impacts come

from “overtourism”, which is “when a destination receives significantly more visitors than its

infrastructure can handle, leading to overcrowding, environmental degradation, and a decrease in

the quality of life for locals,” (Brandt, 2023).

One of the main impacts focused on in this study is how overcrowding has led to a

decrease in people’s quality of life, for example, longer wait times, heavy traffic, and daily
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schedules being affected by this overcrowding. Simple issues like heavy traffic can have a bigger

impact than many think. Other than the stress and other dangers it can bring on like increased

risk of accidents, traffic times can be extreme, and also unpredictable. “People are often late to

work or to medical appointments, and can miss travel connections (like planes or trains),” (MTC,

Unknown). This can lead to increased stress and can also impact people’s work life. For

example, if they are continuously late, they may lose their job.

With this being something that impacts many people day-to-day, there is surprisingly not

much research on it. Possibly because people don’t even realize they are being impacted by it, it

is extremely difficult to find in-depth and useful information on this issue. By answering the

question of how social media leading to an increase in congestion and pollution can impact

people through research, the hope is to provide some background on these issues. Through this,

the community could be opened up to what the root of some of their problems are and could even

begin discussing solutions.

Joe→ How does technology and social media impact the recreation of college students'

organizations?

The current generation of college students is the most technologically dependent in

history and therefore have experienced first hand the impact technology has on all parts of their

lives including on their recreation. Many recreation and leisure pursuits have made adaptations to

incorporate technology such as listening to music while going for a run, wearable technology to

track a workout, an esports revolution, GPS tracking while hiking and reading books on digital

screens (Vigo 2020). This has made these leisure pursuits more enjoyable and easier to engage in

for many. Additionally, technology and social media is responsible for, “modifying former

patterns of behavior rather than introducing completely new tasks' ' (Ciochetto, 2012, p.1). This
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modification allows college students to experience these leisure pursuits in new ways or methods

without impacting the integrity of recreation at its core. With my research, I am curious if these

changes are having a positive impact or not particularly within college student organizations.

Furthering the idea of potential improvements, technology and social media has

simplified the methods in which many people discover, plan and market their leisure and

recreation pursuits. Business and organization are using social media to promote and engage

participants in the recreation they provide as social media is, “becoming a prevalent part of the

promotional marketing mix by recreation and sport organizations… and was effective in

increasing awareness' ' (Cianfrone, 2014, p.1). The widespread reach of social media alleviates

the need for traditional forms of marketing and communication allowing a greater scope of

people to engage in events and their preferred recreation activities. However, all these positive

impacts social media grants have been focused on recreational business but there seems to be a

lack of knowledge on how these positive impacts are affecting college student organization and

if there is a positive impact at all. This is what my research will focus on.

Moreover, technology and social media has an incomparable hold on our society

especially for those college aged and impacts essentially each part of their lives. Therefore, it is

vital to research into the impact that technology and social media has on the function and

recreation of student organization’s along with discovering ways to hopefully improve how these

organizations are run. Therefore my research question is, how does technology and social media

impact the recreation of college students' organizations? Throughout this research, we will gain a

better understanding of the overall impact technology is having on college students' organization

and how to best embrace these changes to hopefully better how college students choose to

recreate with their organizations.

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Michael → What are the effects of continuous social media use on college students’

academic and recreational performance and well-being when they do not take breaks?

Continuous social media use among college students without breaks has become a

prevalent concern in recent years, raising questions about its impact on academic performance,

recreational engagement, and overall well-being. As students increasingly integrate social media

into their daily lives, the potential consequences of uninterrupted usage deserve careful

examination. The importance of this study lies in addressing the potential problems that may

arise from prolonged social media engagement and its implications for college students who may

neglect essential activities and responsibilities. Moreover, the link between continuous social

media use and its effects on academic and recreational performance remains a subject of ongoing

investigation. A study by Primack et al. (2017) emphasized the significance of understanding the

relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes, indicating a need for further

exploration of how these factors intersect in the context of college students' lives.

Tahiz → Does social media lead to privacy and security concerns when sharing recreational

experiences on social media, and how does this affect people’s willingness to share their

experiences with others?

This topic touches upon a critical aspect of social media usage. As social media continues

to be a primary platform for individuals to share personal experiences, there is growing

awareness of potential risks that may occur with this action. This research is focusing on

unraveling the dynamics between social media usage, privacy concerns, and the willingness to

share your recreational experiences on social media. Understanding this will allow us to get

insights on how this dynamic shapes individuals' decisions along with their social media

behaviors. In an article by EquiFax, they share a specific example on how sharing recreational
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experiences on social media may affect your family. “Oversharing could also put your valuables

at risk – for example, if you’re showing that you’re away on holiday, you’re essentially

announcing that you’re not at your home. This could give criminals – including identity thieves –

the chance to target your place of residence, if they know where it is” (Should you share your

location on social media, n.d.). This gives a real life scenario that not many may think about

when posting on social media. It is important to keep your family and yourself safe before

anything, which makes it tricky to share your recreational experiences on social media.

Privacy concerns significantly impact people’s willingness to share their recreational

experiences online, leading to a more cautious approach. The awareness of potential risks that

comes from sharing your location online allows individuals to reconsider when, where, and how

they choose to share their recreational experiences online. An effect that individuals may come

across is becoming more selective in what content they share. Users may start to question

whether sharing their recreational experiences is worth the potential consequences. The concern

about location privacy often results in a reduction of location tagging on social media, simply to

avoid the risk. Although it may be a concern to others, there are many individuals who are

unaware of these security concerns. Individuals who may be unaware of the potential privacy

risks that come from sharing your recreational experiences online may be vulnerable to exposure

of personal information. In an article by Axios, April Rubin shares how “Nearly 80% of people

have location sharing activated on their phones some of the time, and 16% have it activated all of

the time, according to 2022 data from The Harris Poll on behalf of The New York Times”. This

shows how there is a rather large group that may be unaware of the extent to which their content

may be accessed.
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Addressing the privacy and security concerns revolving around geo-tagging your location

involves implementing temporary solutions. A practical approach is to disable your geo-tagging

feature on your devices. The only set back with this would be that you are pushing aside the

purpose of this feature, to share your recreational experiences with others. There is the option of

users taking control of this feature by reviewing and editing the geotag prior to uploading, which

would ultimately allow you to decide when and where you would like to tag your status. By

choosing broader location descriptors, like city names rather than the specific location, you can

compromise safety while sharing experiences. Another approach could be using temporary

geotags. These would expire after a specific amount of time to limit the amount of people you

are reaching. Overall, these strategies provide a practical solution to navigate geotagging and

provide a balance between sharing while maintaining privacy. Although we have been able to

dive deep into potential solutions, we have yet to dive into our actual research question. Does

social media lead to privacy and security concerns when sharing recreational experiences on

social media, and how does this affect people’s willingness to share their experiences with

others? In this study, we will be diving deeper into the significance of geotagging and if it is a

concern social media users, ages 18-25 come across.

Tyler→How does social media play a role with young adults in discovering and planning

participation in recreation activities?

As social media becomes intertwined in all aspects of our lives it is important to

understand how young adults are using social media to plan and discover new recreation

activities. Research has shown that on one end you have social media beneficially influencing

how people plan their tourism and recreational activities and on the other you have social media

reducing motivation for recreation activities (Hung, Gua-Bao, 2022). This relationship that social
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media has with recreation is important to understand so that recreation providing organizations

can have an effective social media presence that beneficially influences how people plan and

discover their recreational activities.

With social media being one of the leading marketing platforms in today's world it should

come with no surprise that social media brings large amounts of awareness about recreational

activities. However, a research study on the role of social media on leisure preferences found that

not only was social media identified to raise awareness about recreational opportunities, but it is

also a common theme to see how social media encourages participation in recreational activities,

leisure, travel and more (Aydin & Arslan 2016). This research also noted that others use social

media to plan their activities based on other itineraries and shared experiences (Aydin & Arslan

2016).

Although there is research that shows how social media is a beneficial influence on both

planning and discovering new recreational activities, there are some gaps in the research. The

key gap in the research is with young adults. This is very important because 18-25 year olds are

the first generation to grow up on social media and use it frequently. Secondly, the current

research lacks specific data on types of recreation activities, social media platforms and

truthfulness of social media as a tool to discover and plan recreation activities. The study

addresses these gaps in the knowledge in learning more about how social media plays a role in

planning and discovering recreation activities.

The Present Study

Overall, this study focuses on social media’s impact on recreation in multiple different

aspects from tourism, to sports, to general recreation. Not much research has been done
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regarding the specific research questions in this study due to it being a very small industry. The

research in this present study will provide additional knowledge to the subject of social media

impacting recreation in the hopes of benefiting society through opening them up to these ideas

that positively impact recreation and possibly learning from the aspects that are more negative in

this study, sparking the conversation towards solutions.

Methods

This is a mixed methods study using both quantitative and qualitative data through the

use of survey and interview style questions. Each student provided separate quantitative and

qualitative questions based on their individual research question. Madelyn’s research question is

“Has the negative impact of social media and tourism, like congestion and pollution in

overcrowded areas, trumped the positive stimulation it brings to the community?” Joe’s research

question is “How does technology and social media impact the recreation of college students’

organizations?” Tyler’s research question is “How does social media play a role in discovering

and planning participation in recreation activities?” This research question is “Does social media

lead to privacy and security concerns when sharing recreational experiences on social media, and

how does this affect people’s willingness to share their experiences with others?”

Participants

In terms of participants, for our quantitative study we had a total of 38 participants. They

are varied in age from 18-25 years old and all were college students mostly attending Penn State.

For our qualitative study, we each interviewed 3 individuals so a total of 15 for our group. Each

interview lasted at least 30 minutes and each interviewee was a college student at Penn State.

Procedures
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For our quantitative study, we made it on Qualtrics and each contributed 2-3 survey

questions with a total of 15 questions. To get participants for the survey, we sent the survey link

to a variety of Penn State students that we knew from former connections, current friends, and

fellow student organization members. We explained that the survey was for a research project we

were conducting and asked them to fill it out. The survey was sent out for 1 week, being sent out

on a Sunday and by the next sunday the survey was closed. Also,we did not collect any

identifying information from the participants.

For our qualitative study, we each reached out to our potential interviewees by email

asking them if they would engage in this interview process and elaborated on what their research

being conducted was about. We all chose Penn State students that we were familiar with or had

some prior connection. We all tried to meet in person in a neutral location on campus, however

some people had to conduct zoom interviews. We got permission from each participant to record

the interview on our cell phones and asked about 10 questions or to the interviewee. We did

record their relation to Penn State and their names, but nothing more to identify them. We also let

them know that their names would be redacted within our results and our discussions.

Measures

We used both quantitative and qualitative measures to investigate our research questions.

Appendix A includes the full text of the survey items, and Appendix B shows the full text of our

interview questions.

Survey Measures

To help answer the question of “Has the negative impact of social media and tourism, like

congestion and pollution in overcrowded areas, trumped the positive stimulation it brings to the

community,” a survey was put out asking quantitative questions. These survey questions varied
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from yes or no answers to see rough percentages of how many people were involved on the

tourism side of social media, to scale answers based on how affected people were by some of

these implications brought on from overcrowding, even if they were unaware that was the reason

of the heavy traffic or long wait times.

In order to answer the question of how technology and social media impact the recreation

of college students' organizations, Joe’s survey includes multiple choice and multiple select

questions inquiring on how often their student organization uses technology/social media inside

and outside of meetings to get percentages of the regularity of using technology within students

organization. Other questions asked participants to rank on a scale of 1-5 how much technology

improves/worsens their organization in order to get percentages about the personal feeling

students possess in relation to the effectiveness the use of technology currently has on their

organization function.

To answer the research question for Tahiz’s survey we have asked individuals, “Does

social media lead to privacy and security concerns when sharing recreational experiences on

social media, and how does this affect people’s willingness to share their experiences with

others?” There were a variety of questions that were asked in a quantitative and qualitative

format. The first question asked on this topic was, “How do you feel about the use of

location-based services or geotagging when sharing your recreational experiences on social

media? ''. Individuals had the option of either “comfortable with it” or “concerned about

privacy”. This question will give an idea of where the individuals stand with geotagging

accessibility.

To answer Tyler’s research question the first questions in the survey were yes or no

answer style questions. The yes or no questions asked helped discover the percentages of
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participants who have used social media to plan and discover recreation activities. The survey

then used the likert scale and multiple answer questions to discover how often recreation

activities are being planned and discovered on social media and what types of activities are being

planned and discovered.

Interview Measures

To help with answering Madelyn’s research question regarding the negative impacts of

social media and tourism on the community, the interview questions were designed to go more

in-depth, providing a more specific background of how those interviewed were specifically

impacted. Most questions included ideas about how tourism is used and seen on social media and

how issues like traffic or long wait times influenced by overtourism affects the participants in

more detail.

In order to answer Joe’s research regarding how technology and social media impact the

recreation of college students' organizations, the interview questions go more in depth and

specific compared to the survey. The goal of the interview was to learn how these students feel

technology and social media is impacting the recreation of their student organizations and

inquired questions such as how incorporating more technology or social media into the

organization impacts its function and in what ways.

In hopes to get more in depth with Tahiz’s research question, the interview questions

were directed toward individuals who may often struggle with privacy concerns due to social

media. This allowed for us to get a better understanding of why people may struggle with being

comfortable sharing their recreational activities on social media. Since we weren’t able to get an

accurate understanding with the quantitative research, we wanted to hear what precautions you
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may be able to take when sharing your experiences by geo-tagging your location. This lead to a

in depth interview with someone who has a social media presence, and may often find

themselves in the position where they have to rethink sharing recreational experiences.

In order to answer Tyler’s question open-ended interviews were conducted with

participants. The open ended format was chosen to allow participants to elaborate on answers

and the interviewer to ask questions based on responses as well as prepared questions. The

prepared questions asked about the specific events individuals had planned or discovered on

social media and the platforms that were used. The interview questions additionally asked if

participants found social media to be a trustworthy source for planning recreation activities and

had participants list examples of the times they have used social media to plan and discover

recreation activites.

To address Michael's research question regarding the effects of continuous social media

use on college students' academic and recreational performance and well-being, a comprehensive

research approach was employed. A series of in-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted

with participants to gain nuanced insights into their experiences with social media. The

open-ended format was deliberately chosen to allow participants the flexibility to elaborate on

their answers and share detailed narratives. This approach enabled the interviewer to ask

follow-up questions based on participants' responses, fostering a more profound understanding of

the multifaceted relationship between social media usage and academic and recreational aspects

of students' lives. The prepared questions inquired about specific events individuals had planned

or discovered on social media, exploring the platforms used and seeking to understand the role of

social media as a trustworthy source for planning recreational activities. Participants were also

prompted to provide concrete examples of instances where social media played a pivotal role in
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shaping their academic and recreational pursuits. This methodological choice aimed to capture

the richness of participants' experiences and shed light on the intricate ways in which continuous

social media use influences various facets of college students' well-being and performance.

Results

Madelyn → Has the negative impact of social media and tourism, like congestion and

pollution in overcrowded areas, trumped the positive stimulation it brings to the

community?

The survey data taken has shown that the negative impacts of social media on tourism has

impacted people even if they are unaware of the cause. For starters, almost everyone answered

that they do use social media as a way to find new places to travel to, which is about 30 out of

the roughly 35 participants (Figure 1). This first set of data suggests that a boom in tourism could

very likely be caused partly by social media. With this leading to negative affects like

overcrowding, pollution, and others, a follow up question asked “How frequently does

overcrowding affect you day to day?” With options being everyday, often, sometimes, rarely, and

never, the highest percentage of answers was 44% at “often”, while the “rarely” option was

picked at 5%. Another issue social media has had on tourism is people traveling to do dangerous

activities to post for trends. For this, I asked people how often they see people participating in

these dangerous activities on social media. 36% answered “often”, 44% answered “sometimes”,

and 19% answered “rarely.” This data shows that although it may not be as significant for some

people, others, and a good amount, are seeing the impacts this can have.

For the interview portion, I focused more directly on the ways people are affected and to

what extent they notice it. For one question I asked them to describe how they have noticed
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changes in traffic time, wait times, and others. “There have definitely been more people on the

road since the lockdown, which I think could correlate with this a little bit,” said one participant.

Another explained how they need to leave for work 20 minutes earlier than they used to because

of the amount of traffic they get stuck in. The correlation between lockdown and tourism could

be that many people are now eager to get out and explore. They don’t want to take it for granted

anymore so they travel and post about it to show others who then follow in their footsteps.

Another part of the interview dealt with TikTok influencers and how their media is

causing people to not only flock to destinations, but also participate in trends that could be

dangerous. “A lot of my social media, not even just TikTok, is influencers who even if they are

unrelated to tourism, get paid to go to places and post about it. I’m sure a lot of people see stuff

like that and either want to go for the experience, or they think that if they start doing the same

then they can also make money off it.” I really liked including this answer because it shows that

people in the media are easily influenced and it’s very likely that they are adding to the tourism

boom because of that.

Joe→ How does technology and social media impact the recreation of college students'

organizations?

For our quantitative survey, we had a total of 38 participants and we found that

technology and social media is mostly having a positive impact on the function and general

recreation of student organizations. To start, 64% of those surveyed indicated that they either

sometimes (16%), often (32%) or all the time (16%), using social media and technology during

rehearsal/practices/meetings and an even greater percentage, 84%, said they either sometimes

(16%), often (49%) or all the time (19%), using social media and technology outside of their

rehearsal/practice/meetings. This indicates that for many student organizations, technology or

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social media is utilized to operate their organization. Additionally, as displayed in figure 2, when

asked about to what extent does technology/social media improve their student organization from

a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely), the mean answer was 4.10, the mode was 4 and the

median was also a 4. Indicating that technology/social media may not be extremely improving

their organizations, it is improving them a good amount. On the flip side of this, as displayed in

figure 3, when asked if technology worsens their organization on the same scale, the mean was

1.68, the median was 2 and the mode was 1 and 2 (since both had 14 people selected them).

Upon completing a t test, the p value was 1.76^-19 indicating there is quite a significant

difference between the two means of improving the recreation and worsening the recreation.

Overall, this all indicates that generally college students feel that technology/social may only

worsen their organization slightly.

For my three interviews, my interviewees were a member of club soccer, a member of a

tap dance company, and a member of an acapella group. The major themes I coded from their

interviews were: technology improves their organizations functions and creates a better

experience for their recreational activity, the core recreation of the organization could still be

completed without technology but with lesser satisfaction, and social media has become a strong

source of communicating with current members and recruiting new members. One of the

interviewees, when discussing how technology improves their organization, said, “ we use

technology all the time to find songs to sing, find the sheet music for those songs and edit songs

we record… and we post our songs to streaming platforms and social media”. I found it

fascinating that despite being an acapella group, who do not use speakers or instruments, how

helpful technology and social media can be to conduct their organization and share their talents

with the world.

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Additionally, the tap dancer said that, “we are constantly looking on Spotify, SoundCloud

and Youtube, to find cool and exciting songs to tap too… and use a speaker to play our music…

without technology we would definitely still be able to tap dance like acapella or using CD or

something but the internet definitely provides us with more pathways to stimulate our creativity”.

So ultimately they would still be able to tap dance and recreate, but technology and the internet

improves their organization and make their recreation more enjoyable. Lastly, the club soccer

member discussed how, “ social media is the main way we recruit people to the team…

instagram is huge for us we post stories and posts about when tryouts are, when we will be at

involvement fairs and provide access with more general information about the team… without

instagram it would be much more difficult to recruit members… It will have to be word of

mouth”. Instagram was mentioned by all three interviewees and emphasized to me that, “ all

college students have instagram… it is very accessible and easy to post information”.

Additionally, they all said that because everyone has a phone now and most social media,

their organization’s leadership can communicate easily through GroupMe, iMessage and

Snapchat. They all mentioned how social media helps grow the team's comradery because they

get to talk to each other outside of practice, despite not physically being together. Overall, they

each expressed general positive relations to technology/social media within their organizations

and expressed they are always open to, “finding new ways to incorporate technology, especially

if it means bettering how our organization is run”.

Tyler→How does social media play a role with young adults in discovering and planning

participation in recreation activities?

The quantitative survey data taken showed us that the majority of people are using social

media platforms as a tool to discover and plan new recreation activities. For example (87%) of
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participants stated that they have used social media to discover new recreational activities. Along

with discovering new recreational activities, (74%) identified that they have used social media as

a tool to plan their participation in recreation activities. The next piece of the puzzle was how

often do individuals use social media as a tool to discover and plan participation in a recreation

activity? The response to this question was evenly spread as displayed in (figure 5). The most

common response was “sometimes” (42%), followed by “most of the time” (24%). This tells us

that social media platforms are being used more often than not to plan and discover recreational

activities.

To develop a further understanding of how social media was being used to plan and

participate in recreation activities the following question was asked; “What types of recreation

activities have you planned with a social media platform?”. Recreation activities were broken

down into four categories of social activities, physical activities, camping and outdoor activities

and arts and crafts activities. As displayed in (figure 6), social activities were answered by (87%)

of participants and was the most common response. Secondly, physical activities were identified

by (79%) of respondents as something that they planned with the use of social media. This data

gives us a better understanding of specific activities individuals use social media as a tool to plan

and discover.

The qualitative data revealed some common themes regarding the details of how social

media is used to discover and plan new recreation activities. One theme that was discovered

quickly was that Facebook and Instagram were the main social media platforms that were used

for planning. One participant specifically noted a time they saw an event on Facebook they didn't

know about. Then ended attending it that day based on all the information found on the social

media platform. Another theme that emerged throughout the interviews was that social media is a
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great resource for planning and finding out when an activity is. When asked “What aspects of

planning for recreation is social media most useful for?” The respondents often talked about how

it is useful for knowing when and where the event is. One respondent even mentioned how the

facebook event creation is a great resource.

The respondents were asked two questions relating to the effectiveness of social media

when planning and discovering recreation activities. They were asked “Do you believe that

social media is a good tool to discover new recreational activities?” and “Do you believe that

social media is a trustworthy tool for planning your recreational activities?”. The theme that

emerged from these questions was that social media is a great tool for discovering/planning

recreation activities. Respondents said things such as “I am also someone who has joined an

event such as these that I found on Instagram” and “information I have gotten on social media

about events has been trustworthy”. Overall social media was identified as a useful tool for

planning and discovering a variety of recreation activities.

Tahiz → Does social media lead to privacy and security concerns when sharing recreational

experiences on social media, and how does this affect people’s willingness to share their

experiences with others?

The quantitative data gave clarity in the privacy and security concerns people may have

when sharing their recreational experiences on social media. Oftentimes, with social media it is

quite common to see others share their experiences and use the geotagging feature to highlight

where they are at. This could lead to huge safety concerns, which may prevent people from

sharing their experiences on social media. In our survey we asked, “How do you feel about the

use of location-based services or geotagging when sharing your recreational experiences on

social media?” with the options being “concerned about safety” and “comfortable with it”. Our
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results came back as 47% comfortable with it while the other 53% are concerned about their

safety.

The interview portion of this data allowed me to get deeper into the topic with one of my

teammates. We spent some time discussing the pros and cons of sharing the location of the

recreational activities you take part in regularly and she ultimately explained how she isn’t

always comfortable sharing her location online. Unless she is only attending once, she typically

chooses to not share the location or geotag of where she is spending her time recreationally.​​She

also elaborated on how it makes it more personal to her when she’s not sharing it on social

media. “If my main focus is to post something on Instagram, it kinda makes it more forced to

have a good time instead of it just happening naturally”. If she chooses to post anything on her

social media, she always waits until she has left the location to post or tag anything. Towards the

end of our discussion, we came to the conclusion that it ultimately depends on the influence you

may have on social media when geo-tagging your location. For example, someone who may only

have a few hundred followers with a private account may not be putting themselves at high risk

compared to someone who has tens of thousands of followers.

Michael → How do you navigate social media use during busy academic periods and

recreational activities to maintain a balance? Can you share specific experiences where

your social media habits influenced your academic performance, participation in

recreation, or overall well-being as a college student?

In the qualitative analysis of the data collected, participants revealed intricate insights

into their strategies for managing social media use amidst academic responsibilities and

recreational pursuits. Common themes emerged, such as the intentional setting of usage

boundaries during study sessions and the adoption of designated time slots for engaging in online
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interactions. Participants described the impact of these strategies on their academic performance,

recounting instances where disciplined social media use enhanced concentration, but also

acknowledging challenges when those boundaries were breached. Additionally, qualitative data

shed light on the emotional dimensions of social media, revealing how certain online interactions

positively or negatively influenced participants' overall well-being and satisfaction with their

recreational experiences. These narratives provided a rich understanding of the nuanced ways in

which social media habits intersect with the daily lives of college students.

In the quantitative analysis, numerical patterns and statistical relationships were explored

to complement the qualitative findings. Metrics such as the frequency and duration of social

media use during different activities, self-reported academic performance, and measures of

well-being were quantified and examined for potential correlations. For instance, statistical

techniques were employed to assess whether there was a significant association between certain

patterns of social media engagement and academic achievement. Quantitative data also allowed

for the identification of prevalence rates regarding the adoption of specific strategies to balance

social media use. By integrating both qualitative narratives and quantitative metrics, a

comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between social media habits and various

aspects of college students' lives was achieved.

Discussion

Social media's many different effects on young adults have been studied such as mental

health and sleep. However, very little has been studied on the effects that social media has on

young adults recreational choices and the relationships between social media and recreation. The
 22

findings presented in the next section show the importance of studying this topic and what

should be done, or done differently based on the findings previously presented.

Madelyn → Has the negative impact of social media and tourism, like congestion and

pollution in overcrowded areas, trumped the positive stimulation it brings to the

community?

From looking back at the literature review, it is clear that the original assumption that this

idea of “overtourism” does impact people’s lives and daily schedules. As said earlier in the

literature review, one of the biggest issues with this increased congestion is the decrease it is

having on quality of life. Previous sources described how, for example, the increase in traffic can

induce stress, cause dangerous road conditions, and lead to issues at work. The survey and

interview questions confirmed these ideas by showing that a lot of people now take significantly

longer getting to work, forcing them to change their schedules around. In addition, a big finding

in the interview portion included participants explaining they sometimes change plans around to

avoid leaving the house during this heavy traffic, which has significantly increased in how often

it is, not just rush hour. This is a huge supporting piece of data for the argument that quality of

life is decreasing.

With these results, practitioners in the field could try putting a heavier focus on the

impact the surge in tourism from social media has had. As said, a lot of people do not realize this

is one of the biggest issues with the congestion in their area, and shining more light on this idea

could lead to more solutions. Currently, several countries have placed travel regulations like how

many can visit at once, during what time of year, etc. (ET Online, 2023). This could be a possible

option if more people are aware of this data. Based on these findings, I think we should put a lot
 23

more importance on these issues, as the impact it has on quality of life will continue to grow

until something is done to control it.

Joe→ How does technology and social media impact the recreation of college students'

organizations?

Reflecting on the literature, it identified that many recreation pursuits have been

improved by the incorporation of technology and social media (Vigo, Leabo, & Ostendorf,

2020). However, one of the largest gaps of knowledge pertains to university student

organizations and if technology and social media is also improving how their organization

functions and if recreation is improved by their incorporation. Both our quantitative and

qualitative results helped identify that college organizations are embracing the use of

technology/social media and it has resulted in improved function of their organization and

therefore of their recreation. Additionally, through the qualitative results, it was also noted that

much of the recreation could be completed without the use of technology, but its incorporation

unlocks new methods in engaging in the recreation therefore bettering the experience. Overall,

based on my literature review I expected there to be generally positive feedback on technology

use, but was surprised by just how much the college students incorporated technology their

organizations and the improvement in provides

As stated, this research has helped confirm that recreation is improved by specific

incorporation of technology in different student organizations. With this knowledge, practitioners

in the field can potentially better all student organizations by encouraging and providing

resources to student leaders with new ways to incorporate technology into their function of the

organization that pushes the barriers of how the organization typically runs. We could then see

better execution of the recreation for the organization members which in general will improve
 24

recreation at that university, potentially creating happier students (Ciochetto, 2012). Additionally,

the university could then also look to invest in programs online or specific technologies that

provide a new aspect to better their student’s organization’s recreation. This could be new music

creation platforms for dance groups, video programs to suggest plays for a sports team, and

many other possibilities all in which would better recreation in student organizations of all kinds.

Ultimately, this research allows practitioners to start to push the boundaries, emphasize the

technology based world we live in and look into ways to create the best possible recreation for

student organizations.

Tahiz → Does social media lead to privacy and security concerns when sharing recreational

experiences on social media, and how does this affect people’s willingness to share their

experiences with others?

Based on the literature review, “Nearly 80% of people have location sharing activated on

their phones some of the time, and 16% have it activated all of the time” (Rubin, n.d.). This

shows how many individuals are either unaware, or simply don’t care about the effects of

geotagging. In my quantitative study, the results came back as 47% comfortable sharing their

location while the other 53% are concerned about their safety. I expected more individuals to be

uncomfortable with tagging their locations which gave a different perspective of this topic. This

gives an unsure result not allowing us to make an accurate conclusion. An important finding

from our study came from the quantitative study. As I was able to interview a friend who has a

social media presence, she gave some tips for sharing your recreational experiences online. One

of the main ones focusing on only tagging your location when you have left the facility. She also

explained how she only tags the location if it isn’t a regular location that she is at. For example, it
 25

wouldn’t be best to tag the exact location of the park she spends recreational time at. On the

other hand, tagging the amusement park she visited a couple states over may be harmless.

The study findings were interesting because they didn’t come out the way I expected

them to. Personally, I am very cautious when tagging my location on social media. If I ever

choose to, I simply tag the city rather than the specific location (ex. tagging “Philadelphia, PA”

rather than “FDR Park in Philadelphia, PA”). Next time, I should proceed to ask whether the

individuals being surveyed have a private or public social media account. This could give a

different perspective of why they are comfortable or uncomfortable with sharing their locations.

This could potentially lead to being able to make an accurate conclusion on my findings.

Tyler→How does social media play a role with young adults in discovering and planning

participation in recreation activities?

The previous literature on social media’s influence on leisure activities found that social

media does encourage adults to participate in recreational activities (Aydin & Arslan 2016). The

most compelling gap in the research was whether or not young adults were also being

encouraged to participate from social media. Both the quantitative and qualitative results showed

that young adults are also being encouraged to participate in recreation activities from social

media. Additionally, the findings provided information on the specific activities that participants

were being encouraged to participate in and plan. The information was also previously lacking in

research. The most common answers were social activities such as concerts and physical

activities such as sports events. The responses showed that social media encouraged participation

in these types of activities much more than it did in other activities such as outdoor pursuits and

arts and crafts.

 26

The results found in this study show the importance of recreation providing organizations

having an effective social media presence. With young adults using social media more than any

other generation and results showing that it can encourage participation in recreation activities,

there is a great opportunity for organizations to use social media to raise participation numbers.

As a recreation providing organization it should be a priority to establish a social media

presence, especially if the target audience is young adults. This presence should be on platforms

such as instagram and facebook as those are the most popular used for the purpose of planning

participation and discovering new recreation activities.

Michael → How do participants' qualitative experiences with social media align with the

quantitative usage data? How does this combined insight deepen our understanding of

social media's impact on academic performance, recreational engagement, and overall

well-being in college students, and what implications does it hold for potential

interventions?

The integration of qualitative experiences with social media and quantitative usage data

provides a nuanced understanding of its impact on college students. The qualitative insights into

participants' strategies shed light on the personal and emotional dimensions of social media use

during academic and recreational activities. Aligning this with quantitative usage data allows us

to identify patterns and correlations, enriching our comprehension of the broader implications.

For instance, if qualitative stories highlight positive coping strategies that correlate with

improved academic performance, such findings could inform targeted interventions. This

integrated analysis underscores the complex relationship between social media and students'

lives, offering valuable insights for educational initiatives and interventions that can foster

healthier online and offline experiences.

 27

Limitations

The limitations to the research mostly have to do with the demographic of our

participants. Results may have varied if the surveys were sent out to other universities or other

geographical locations. Additionally, the survey would have benefited by having questions that

vetted participants. For example, asking participants how often they use social media and

whether or not they are a part of a student organization. These limitations could have given a

false sense of how specific populations would have answered questions.

Conclusion

Ultimately, social media and technology have been infused with our daily lives and

impacts how certain tasks are completed and information shared. While focusing on the ages of

18 to 25 years old, it is evident that it is impacting their tourism, their recreation and how they

share online. The research conducted in this study showed that social media has created a surge

in tourism in certain areas. This over tourism supports the need for local regulations on travel in

high use areas. Additionally, social media has led to privacy issues related to geo tags. This is an

issue that many people might not be aware of and need to understand the consequences. On the

positive side our research discovered that social media has been a great tool for recreation

providing organizations such as student organizations to communicate their events and offerings.

The research conducted in the study showed how social media’s impact on recreation can have

positive and negative effects. More research about social media’s impact on recreation can help

create a more positive relationship between the two.

 28

References

Aydin, B., & Arslan, E. (2016). The Role of Social Media on Leisure Preferences: A Research on

the Participants of Outdoor Recreation Activities. Turizm Akademik Dergisi, 3(1), 1–10.

https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/touraj/issue/24968/263492

Brandt, C. (2023, November 13). The price of popularity: The impact of over tourism on

destinations. Giving Getaway.

https://givinggetaway.com/the-impact-of-overtourism-on-destinations/#:~:text=The%20D

efinition%20and%20Causes%20of%20Overtourism,-With%20the%20rise&text=It%20oc

curs%20when%20a%20destination,quality%20of%20life%20for%20locals.

Cianfrone, B. (2014). The Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing: The Impact of Facebook

Status Updates on a Campus Recreation Event. Recreational Sport Journal.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301800713_The_Effectiveness_of_Social_Med

ia_Marketing_The_Impact_of_Facebook_Status_Updates_on_a_Campus_Recreation_Ev

ent

Ciochetto, L. (2012). The Impact of New Technologies on Leisure in Developed and Emerging

Economies. International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268093455_The_Impact_of_New_Technologie

s_on_Leisure_in_Developed_and_Emerging_Economies

Hung, Wei-Tien and Liou, Guo-Bao, "The influence of social media on outdoor recreation

participation" (2022). PACIS 2022 Proceedings. 333.

https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2022/333
 29

Online, E. (2023, August 6). These European countries are imposing fines and restrictions amid

tourist overcrowding. The Economic Times.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/visit/these-european-countries-are-imposing-fin

es-and-restrictions-amid-tourist-overcrowding/articleshow/102470967.cms

Rubin, A. (n.d.). Why people love sharing their locations, despite the risks - axios.

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/17/location-sharing-apps-gen-z

Should you share your location on social media?. The risks of sharing your location on social

media | Equifax UK. (n.d.).

https://www.equifax.co.uk/resources/identity-protection/should-you-share-your-location-on-socia

l-media.html

The dangers of traffic congestion. (2022, November 18). Metropolitan Transportation

Commission. https://mtc.ca.gov/news/dangers-traffic-congestion

Vigo, J. (2019) How Technology is Changing How We Do Leisure. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/julianvigo/2019/05/30/how-technology-is-changing-how-w

e-do-leisure/?sh=455aec266a67
 30

Figures
Figure 1

Have you ever used social media to discover a new place to travel to?

Figure 2

Results displaying to what extend technology/social media improve student organization

function on a scale of 1-5 ( 1 being not at all and 5 being extremely)

 31

Figure 3

Percentages of individuals who ranked 1-5 how much technology/social media worsens their

student organization (1 being not at all and 5 being extremely)

Figure 5

Results showing how often individuals use social media as a tool for planning recreation

activities.
 32

Figure 6

Results showing types of recreation activities discovered/planned via social media platform

Appendix 1
Have you discovered new recreational activities via social media platforms?
​ Yes
​ No
Have you used social media platforms to plan participation in a recreation activity?
 33

​ Yes
​ No
How often do you use social media platforms as a tool for planning recreation activities?
​ All the time
​ Most of the time
​ Sometimes
​ Not very often
​ Never
What types of recreation activities have you discovered/planned with a social media platform?
​ Physical Activities (Sports, Games, Fitness, etc.)
​ Social Activities (Parties, Picnics, etc.)
​ Camping and Outdoor Activities (Day Camps, Float Trips, etc.)
​ Arts and Crafts Activities (Painting, Ceramics, etc.)
​ Other
​ No recreation activities
If you are in a student organization, how often does your student organization use
technology/social media DURING your meetings/rehearsals/practices?
​ All the Time
​ Often
​ Sometimes
​ Rarely
​ Never
​ Not in a student organization
If you are in a student organization, how often does your student organization use
technology/social media OUTSIDE of your meetings/rehearsals/practices?
​ All the time
​ Often
​ Sometimes
​ Rarely
​ Never
 34

​ Not in Student Organization

If you are in a student organization, to what extent does technology/social media IMPROVE
your student organizations function on a scale of 1-5 (1 being not at all and 5 being extremely)
​ 1
​ 2
​ 3
​ 4
​ 5
​ Not in student organization
If you are in a student organization, to what extent does technology/social media WORSEN your
student organizations function on a scale of 1-5 (1 being not at all and 5 being extremely)
​ 1
​ 2
​ 3
​ 4
​ 5
​ Not in student organization
What social media apps/ apps in general do your student organization use for communication?
​ Snapchat
​ GroupMe
​ Facebook
​ Instagram
​ X (Twitter)
​ Threads
​ iMessage
​ Teams
​ TIkTok
​ Whatsapp
​ Other
Have you ever used social media to discover a new place to travel to?
 35

​ Yes
​ No
How frequently does overcrowding impact you day to day, like long wait times, heavy traffic,
etc?
​ Everyday
​ Often
​ Sometimes
​ Rarely
​ Never
How often do you see people participating in dangerous recreational activities on social media as
a trend?
​ Often
​ Sometimes
​ Rarely
How would you rate the accuracy and reliability of recreational information shared on social
media?
​ Very Accurate
​ Somewhat accurate
​ Neutral
​ Somewhat not accurate
​ Never Accurate
How do you feel about the use of location-based services or geotagging when sharing your
recreational experiences on social media?
​ Comfortable with it
​ Concerned about privacy
Do you believe that social media has made it easier or more challenging to find affordable and
accessible recreational options in your area?
​ Easier
​ No Impact
​ More Challenging
​

Appendix 2
 36

Tyler’s Interview Questions:

1. In order of most used to least used what social media platforms are you currently
active on?
2. What kind of recreational activities do you participate in on a daily, weekly or
monthly basis?
3. Have you ever discovered new recreational activity opportunities on social media
such as a new place to______(fill with one of the answers to the last questions ex. do
yoga)
4. Do you believe that social media is a good tool to discover new recreational
activities?
5. Do you use social media to plan your participation in recreational activities, such as
when and where it is? If so, how often would you say you do so?
6. What aspects of planning for recreation is social media most useful for?
7. Do you believe that social media is a trustworthy tool for planning your recreational
activities?
8. If you do not use social media as your main source of planning a recreational activity
where else do you get your information to do so?
9. From the standpoint of a recreational organization, do you think social media is an
effective way to communicate and market their offering to people?
10. Is there any specific time you can think of a recreational activity that you discovered
and then planned your participation in with the help of social media?

Madelyn’s Interview Questions:

1. Describe your daily drive to school or work, and think about how much it has changed in
recent years. What have been the changes in traffic, arrival times, etc?
2. Do you typically use social media to share your travel destinations with friends? If so,
what do these posts typically entail?
3. When booking a trip, do you do it all online, or do you go through an agent?
4. If you do not interact with any tourism being shared on social media, is it because you do
not see it or because you are uninterested?
5. How often do you see travel influencers on TikTok, and what does their typical post look
like?
6. What sort of trends do you see among TikTok influencers?
7. How do you think these social media figures actually influence ordinary citizens to flock
to these destinations?

Joe’s Interview Questions:

1. What recreational activity is your organization based on?

2. Describe how your practice/rehearsal generally goes and what you do?
 37

3. What types of technology or social media do you notice that your organization uses that
provides the function of the organization?
4. What types of technology or social media do you notice that your organization uses that
provides communication of the organization?
5. Without technology, would your organization be able to be run still?
6. How incorporating more technology or social media into the organization impacts its
function and in what ways? For better or worse?
7. Does your organization think about how they could incorporate technology/social and
how so?
8. In ten years, can you see your organization being run differently because of technology or
social media and why?
9. What else would you like me to know?