Post, Predict, and Rank: Exploring the Relationship Between Social Media Strategy and Higher Education Institution Rankings

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2025

Authors

Rocha, B (Author) Other; Figueira, A (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Informatics

Vol. 12

Final page: 6

ISSN: 2227-9709

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-017-SJQ

DOI: 10.3390/informatics12010006

Abstract (EN): In today's competitive higher education sector, institutions increasingly rely on international rankings to secure financial resources, attract top-tier talent, and elevate their global reputation. Simultaneously, these universities have expanded their presence on social media, utilizing sophisticated posting strategies to disseminate information and boost recognition and engagement. This study examines the relationship between higher education institutions' (HEIs') rankings and their social media posting strategies. We gathered and analyzed publications from 18 HEIs featured in a consolidated ranking system, examining various features of their social media posts. To better understand these strategies, we categorized the posts into five predefined topics-engagement, research, image, society, and education. This categorization, combined with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and a Random Forest (RF) algorithm, was utilized to predict social media output in the last five days of each month, achieving successful results. This paper further explores how variations in these social media strategies correlate with the rankings of HEIs. Our findings suggest a nuanced interaction between social media engagement and the perceived prestige of HEIs.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 23