The Influence of Social Media on the Professional Competence Improvement of Undergraduate Students in Xi'an

Abstract

In the digital age, social media platforms serve not only as communication tools but also as key spaces for enhancing professional competence among undergraduate students. This study investigates how senior undergraduates in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, utilize social media to develop professional knowledge, skills, and cognition. Using a qualitative approach grounded in social media participation theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six students across diverse institutions and disciplines. Thematic analysis revealed that students strategically differentiate platform use: WeChat and WeChat official accounts support structured academic learning and knowledge acquisition; Xiaohongshu and Douyin facilitate practical skill development, industry information exploration, and career planning; and Weibo enables access to macro-level industry trends and public discourse. Interaction styles vary between active sharing, where students post projects, seek feedback, and engage with peers and professionals, and passive acquisition, focused on browsing and collecting information. Students’ content attention spans three dimensions: academic knowledge, industry-relevant skills, and career development guidance. Social media contributes significantly to professional competence, enabling students to apply theoretical knowledge, improve practical skills, and gain immediate feedback from peers and practitioners. It also enhances professional cognition, broadening students’ understanding of their fields, informing career choices, and reinforcing occupational identity through achievement presentation. Despite these benefits, challenges such as fragmented information, variable content quality, and the risk of superficial learning highlight the need for deliberate guidance.Overall, the study demonstrates that social media functions as an informal, practice-oriented learning ecosystem that complements formal education, fosters multidimensional skill development, and empowers undergraduates to actively shape their professional trajectories.  These findings provide practical implications for universities, students, and policymakers in optimizing social media usage for professional development and employability enhancement.