High School Computer Gameplay and Social Media Use: Influence on CS Identity and CS Career Interests in College

Computer gameplay and social media are two widespread forms of entertainment in the digital age. Currently, there is little evidence to support that leisure-time digital consumption is associated with computer science (CS) affinity. Female students generally spend less time on gaming and more time on social media than male students, so a gender comparison perspective is helpful. Using a national sample of 10,197 U.S. college students in introductory CS courses, we found that frequent computer gameplay was strongly associated with a CS career interest for both male and female students. Yet, increased social media use predicted a higher CS career interest for female students but a lower interest in male students.