El papel de las redes sociales en la intención de participación en intercambios culturales hacia EE. UU. en estudiantes universitarios

Objective: Analyze the relationship between the use of social media and the intention of participation of university students from Quito in cultural exchange programs to the United States during 2025, taking the case of the agency ASCENDIA GLOBAL as a reference. Methodology: A quantitative approach was adopted, with a descriptive-correlational scope and a non-experimental cross-sectional design. A structured survey with Likert-type scales was administered to 380 students from private universities, selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Additionally, a digital marketing exposure index (α = 0.89) was constructed and its relationship with the intention to participate was analyzed using Spearman's rho coefficient. Results: A positive and statistically significant correlation was found between exposure to social media marketing and the intention to participate (rho = 0.636, p < 0.001). Instagram was identified as the predominant platform, while traditional channels showed lower reach. Moreover, the levels of exposure and intention were in moderate ranges. This suggests a potential interest conditioned by the quality and frequency of digital content. Conclusions: Social media constituted a relevant factor associated with the intention to participate in cultural exchange programs. This highlights the importance of strengthening digital strategies based on audiovisual content, informational clarity, and credibility. These findings provide useful evidence for optimizing communication strategies in the educational and business sectors. Moreover, they open future avenues to expand the analysis to other contexts and variables of consumer behavior.