Academy of Educational Leadership Journal Volume 23, Issue 1, 2019 1 1528-2643-23-1-128 SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE BY MILLENNIAL COLLEGE STUDENTS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIGITAL- AGE STUDENT LEADER Antwon D. Woods, Belhaven University Marquita Taylor, Yale University Brandon Dumas, Wiley College ABSTRACT There have been a variety of social media platforms available for consumption; so millennial students may be able to connect through technology to assist with their academic development. A significant amount of development occurs for college students who are & which are considered millennials. The social media platform connection began when these students were in junior high school, as an academic and engaging experience. To explain the social media usage by millennial college students, this study explores college student leadership development through the impact of social media usage within digital education. Keywords: Student Leadership Development, Social Media, Digital Education, Millennials, Student Success. INTRODUCTION Learning in the modern age, in the context of higher education demands an understanding of the various social media experiences that millennial aged college students experience, through the lens of student developmental. Palfrey & Gasser (2008) asserted that social media platforms were introduced and increased in popularity in the 21 st century as an online social engagement tool through various social sites such as Bebo, Myspace, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and now Snapchat. Perrin (2015) reported that 94% of today’s internet browsers range in age from 18 to 29 years old, also known as the millennial generation. Perrin (2015) affirmed that social media initially targeted adolescents and young adults, but all individuals now utilize these technology sources across their lifecycle as a developmental activity. Many colleges and universities are illustrated as environments where social media activity receives substantial attention due to the educational importance on research and technology (Dede, 2013). Martinez-Aleman (2014) stated that college students are the most frequent and substantial social media users for sociability and research gathering purposes. However, many student students struggle to develop social skills and demonstrate loneliness, depression, and isolation throughout their collegiate experience (Eisenberg et al., 2013; Reetz, et al., 2015). Research also directs higher educational professionals to understand the crucial components of helping students succeed academically through these negative social interactions (Kawachi & Berkman, 2001; Chou et al., 2011). A variety of research from (Chickering & Ressier, 1993; Schlossberg, 1995; Bronfenbrenner, 1993) provides exploration of prominent identity theories that have application to understanding millennial college students’ use of social