Abstract

The widespread use of social media has transformed how university students learn English beyond the classroom. This study investigates its influence on the English learning of Chinese-major students at a university. A mixed-methods approach was employed, using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to examine students' social media use, perceptions, and learning experiences. The findings show that platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram provide authentic language input, increase motivation, and improve vocabulary, listening, and communication skills. However, distractions and inconsistent learning habits may reduce learning effectiveness. Overall, social media can be an effective supplementary tool for English learning when used purposefully, offering valuable implications for integrating social media into language learning.

Keywords: Social media, English language learning, non-English-major students, Chinese-major students, higher education.