USF researchers begin first lifespan study on the effects of digital media use among young people
Research will span 25 years, but data collected every six months will provide ongoing insight
University of South Florida
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University of South Florida researcher Justin Martin.
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- Past snapshot research has studied the effects of digital media on everything from political discourse to social development, but no long-term study has tracked digital media use and wellbeing from childhood into adulthood.
- The survey will cover topics such as social media use and addiction, cyberbullying, news consumption, streaming services, parental controls, media literacy, artificial intelligence and more.
- Many studies of media use among children focus on the 13-to-17-year-old age range. The USF researchers begin with early adolescents at age 11, when nearly half of children in the U.S. do not yet own a smartphone.
TAMPA, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2024) – A groundbreaking new study conducted by the University of South Florida will track young people through 2050 to learn more about the long-term impacts of smartphones, social media and other digital media on individual wellbeing.
Though the long-term research will be conducted over the next 25 years, data collected every six months will give ongoing insight to parents, teachers, researchers, health providers and others on the impact of digital media use on children and as they age into adults.
“We have research from other fields that tracks people across decades, looking at cardiovascular health or work-life balance across the lifespan. We don’t have that yet for digital media use and wellness,” said Justin Martin, the Eleanor Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics & Press Policy at USF St. Petersburg and lead researcher of the study. “We know that digital media affect people, especially children, in meaningful and often adverse ways, so it’s important to study the same individuals across the lifespan.”
The Life in Media Survey will collect insights and experiences from thousands of 11 to 13-year-olds as they pertain to digital media use. Researchers will then track the same participants over decades, to determine how digital media impacts and changes attitudes, behaviors and health throughout their lives.
The survey will cover topics such as social media use and addiction, cyberbullying, news consumption, streaming services, parental controls, media literacy, artificial intelligence and more. Examining responses and patterns over time, researchers will discover possible connections between device ownership and time spent on social media with the prevalence of sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression and other critical wellness indicators.
"Experiences during childhood and adolescence can influence health outcomes later in life. This study will help us understand the impact of digital media use on sleep quality and mental health in adolescents, ultimately informing interventions to mitigate any harmful effects,” said Chighaf Bakour, a USF associate professor of epidemiology.
The USF study differs from previous research on children's media use and wellness.
Prior work has mostly focused on smartphone use, social media use and gaming. The USF study measures these things, but also assesses binge-watching, podcast listening, music streaming and other digital habits. A prior study on streaming that Martin coauthored found that binge-watching, an activity often done with others, was correlated with spending more time in-person with friends and family -- not with social isolation.
Also, many studies of media use among children focus on the 13-to-17-year-old age range. The USF researchers begin with early adolescents at age 11, when nearly half of children in the U.S. do not yet own a smartphone.
Some 1,500 Florida youth will take the survey in November to provide researchers with baseline data. The Harris Poll, a global market research firm that collaborated with the USF team in constructing the questionnaire, is collecting the data and will obtain parental permission before children complete the online survey. Findings and insights from this cohort will be published in a report in the spring of 2025.
Informed by the pilot survey, the research team will then start a nationwide, long-term survey for up to 9,000 children in early adolescence. Researchers will survey these children twice a year, once during the school year and again in the summer.
“The 11 to 13-year-old range is typically, for now, when children acquire their own personal smartphone but are still pretty new to the world of digital media,” said Stephen Song, USF assistant professor in the
Department of Journalism & Digital Communication. “This is a good age to begin to track behavior changes that occur over time.”
Past snapshot research has studied the effects of digital media on everything from political discourse to social development, but no long-term study has tracked digital media use and wellbeing from childhood into adulthood. There are a lot of data, but few conclusive findings, since media and devices can be used in so many different ways, said Wendy Rote, a USF psychology professor and expert on adolescent development.
“Let’s say kids who spend more time on social media and devices have higher rates of depression, which is what some of the data is telling us. Is it because of the device and media itself, or is it because time spent with digital media means kids have less time for sports, clubs and other socialization activities?” Rote asked. “What you can get from a long-term study is broad patterns and trends of media use by individuals and examine those at different times in their life to pick apart and answer such questions.”
The research team comprises experts across various disciplines, including journalism, psychology, public health, political science, sociology and communications.
USF is also collaborating with the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and its MediaWise initiative, which empowers young people with media literacy skills, including digital and AI literacy. Sean Marcus, the interactive learning designer for MediaWise, worked with the team to ensure survey questions were relevant and understandable for the audience.
Since the Life in Media Survey will be conducted twice a year over decades, the scope of change that researchers measure could be vast.
“Media and media literacy move at lightning speed, and this study will allow us to move with it,” Marcus said. “We are in the midst of a major technological revolution with tools like AI. This research will provide us a frame of reference to understand how young people are living their lives with technology and how changes in technology are impacting them.”
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About the University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, a high-impact research university dedicated to student success and committed to community engagement, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. Across campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health, USF serves approximately 50,000 students who represent nearly 150 different countries. U.S. News & World Report has ranked USF as one of the nation’s top 50 public universities for six consecutive years and, for the second straight year, as the best value university in Florida. In 2023, USF became the first public university in Florida in nearly 40 years to be invited to join the Association of American Universities, a group of the leading 3% of universities in the United States and Canada. With an all-time high of $692 million in research funding in 2023 and a ranking as a top 15 public university for producing new U.S. patents, USF is a leader in solving global problems and improving lives. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.
Method of Research
Survey
Subject of Research
People
Texting abbreviations makes senders seem insincere, study finds
FWIW, spell it out. K?
If you want to seem sincere and receive more responses to your texts, spell out words instead of abbreviating them, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
Researchers conducted eight experiments with a total of more than 5,300 participants using various methods. Across the experiments, individuals who used texting abbreviations were perceived as more insincere and were less likely to receive replies because they were seen as exerting less effort in text conversations. The research was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
“In daily interactions, we often encounter people who could be considered good texters or poor texters,” said lead researcher David Fang, BCom, a doctoral student in behavioral marketing at Stanford University. “We thought texters might like abbreviations because it would convey an informal sense of closeness, so we were surprised that abbreviations elicited negative perceptions about people who use them.”
Texting has become a dominant form of digital communication, and most texters use some abbreviations, such as IDK for “I don’t know” or GOAT for “greatest of all time” But people might not realize that abbreviations come with costs. In a preliminary survey by the researchers, 99% of respondents reported they used texting abbreviations, and 84% of them didn’t believe that others wouldn’t like abbreviations.
The experiments included an analysis of replies to Discord group chat users, dating scenarios, and Tinder dating app users’ conversation histories spanning 37 countries. Other experiments included participants who rated their texting conversations with people who either were or weren’t using abbreviations.
In the experiments, texters who used abbreviations received shorter and fewer responses and were less likely to receive contact information from the other texter. While young people tend to use more texting abbreviations, they still weren’t fans of them, although the findings were inconsistent in some of the studies, Fang said.
“While our overall results on age were mixed, it’s clear that younger people are not particularly fond of abbreviations, though the strength of this aversion may vary by age,” Fang said.
Texting abbreviations could contribute to loneliness if people find that social bonds weaken over time because they receive less frequent or positive replies to their texts, Fang said. But he doesn’t believe people should stop using abbreviations altogether.
“We often tailor the effort we put into conversations to match the significance of the relationship. In some cases, it makes sense to invest less effort and accept being perceived as less sincere, like quickly texting with a delivery driver,” Fang said. “However, our findings are especially relevant when we want to appear more sincere and strengthen social ties, such as at the beginning of a relationship or when we need to make a good impression.”
Article: “Shortcuts to Insincerity: Texting Abbreviations Seem Insincere and Not Worth Answering,” David Fang, BCom, and Yiran (Eileen) Zhang, MS, Stanford University, and Sam J. Maglio, PhD, University of Toronto, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, published online Nov. 14, 2024.
Contact: David Fang, BCom, may be contacted at davfang@stanford.edu.
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA’s membership includes over 157,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.
Journal
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Shortcuts to Insincerity: Texting Abbreviations Seem Insincere and Not Worth Answering
Article Publication Date
14-Nov-2024
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