Impact of Self-Media on College Students’ Employment in the Digital Age

Abstract

With the in-depth development of the digital economy, selfmedia has become a crucial platform for college students to access information, acquire skills, and engage in career planning. Based on simulated data from 99 employed college graduates, this study empirically examines the impact of self-media usage behavior on college students’ employment outcomes (starting salary and employment timeliness) using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression models. The findings of this paper reveal that self-media skill level, content creation frequency, and the frequency of obtaining career information through self-media significantly positively impact starting salaries; self-media enhances employment quality via digital skills and career information capital yet requires caution against its “time black hole” effect. This study enriches empirical research on digital media and youth employment, provides practical insights for stakeholders (students, colleges, platforms) to optimize self-media’s role in promoting high-quality employment, and bridges the gap between academic exploration and real-world career guidance.