“COLLEGE STUDENTS' COMMUNICATION NEEDS IN THE DIGITAL AGE 2025: BALANCING SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE”.

Abstract

One of the groups most affected by the significant shifts in communication styles brought about by the rapid advancement of digital technology is college students. The intricate relationships between students' social, emotional, and intellectual demands in 2025 make their communication environment more complex than it has ever been. Digital platforms such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), online research libraries, video conferencing tools, and collaborative cloud-based software have made it possible for students to access information and resources quickly. Meanwhile, social media sites like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram have grown into essential spaces for peer engagement, identity expression, and community building. Emotional communication, which was formerly mostly centered on face-to-face encounters, has rapidly shifted online thanks to peer support forums, mental health applications, and online counseling services.  Nonetheless, questions remain regarding the sincerity and profundity of these exchanges.

With a focus on how they balance online and offline platforms in terms of academic, social, and emotional components, this study looks at how college students' communication demands are developing in 2025. Even though digital media offer unprecedented speed, convenience, and accessibility, students often face challenges like digital tiredness, thin social relationships, cyber distractions, and diminished interpersonal depth.  Using the Uses and Gratifications Theory and Media Richness Theory, the study explores whether digital communication satisfies students' holistic needs or whether offline modalities still have intrinsic worth.  A mixed-method approach, which blends quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, allows for a more nuanced knowledge of trends, preferences, and perceived satisfaction levels.

 Even while online communication is more effective and accessible in the social and academic domains, offline contact is still crucial for emotional well-being and the growth of deeper relationships, according to the research. The research contributes to the broader discussion on youth communication in the post-pandemic era by highlighting the necessity of balance rather than replacement. It encourages educators, lawmakers, and technology designers to create hybrid models that blend digital concordances with face-to-face interactions in order to meaningfully and sustainably address students' complex communication demands.