"Human behavior and the social media environment": group differences in social media attitudes and knowledge among U.S. social work students

Social media has ethical implications for social work practice, and accordingly, for professional identity and social work education. In Spring 2019, we administered a 57-item survey to undergraduate and graduate social work students (N = 42) in order to ascertain attitudes about and knowledge of social media at a public university in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of the present study is to explore group differences between social work students who were enrolled in the course, Human Behavior and the Social Media Environment (HBSME), and those who were not, on social media attitudes and knowledge, and to make recommendations for social work education and research accordingly. Key differences were observed between students who were enrolled in HBSME and those who were not. In the Discussion section, we examine these differences against the backdrop of professional social work ethics. Accordingly, we make recommendations for social work education and research.