Impact of Social Media on Women Economic Empowerment: A Study of Girl Students in Government Degree Colleges of Anantapur District

The rapid expansion of social media has created new pathways for career awareness, skill development, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy among young women.Social media platforms are increasingly functioning as informal learning environments that provide access to job information, online courses, entrepreneurial content, and financial knowledge.This study examines the impact of social media usage on various dimensions of women's economic empowerment among girl students in Government Degree Colleges of Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh.A descriptive and analytical research design was adopted, and primary data were collected from 240 students using a structured questionnaire covering social media access, career awareness, skill development, entrepreneurial orientation, and financial confidence.The data were analysed using percentages, mean scores, correlation, and chi-square tests to test the proposed hypotheses.The results reveal that social media usage has a significant positive relationship with career awareness, skill development, entrepreneurial motivation, and financial confidence.Correlation analysis shows moderate to strong positive relationships between social media usage and skill development (r = .67),career awareness (r = .54),and financial confidence (r = .64).However, while awareness of entrepreneurship and income opportunities is high, actual participation in income-generating activities remains moderate, suggesting a gap between motivation and implementation.The study concludes that social media acts as an enabling tool for women's economic empowerment, particularly among rural and low-income students, but requires institutional support and structured digital skill initiatives.