Opening Slide

• In today’s digital age, social media usage has become an integral part of daily life, influencing various aspects of mental health.
• “Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.” — Shirley MacLaine
• Anxiety increased from 5.12% in 2008 to 6.68% in 2018 (p < 0.0001) among adult Americans.
  • Most notable increase: 18–25-year-olds, from 7.97% to 14.66% (p < 0.001) (Goodwin, et al., 2018)

Media Format

• Construct Definition
  • Media format refers to the type of content delivery medium used in the study, specifically the distinction between social media posts and short essays.
• Operational Definition
  • Operationalized by categorizing the content into two formats: essays and social media posts.

Exposure Time

• Construct Definition
  • Exposure length refers to the duration of time participants are exposed to media content.
• Operational Definition
  • Short Exposure: 1 minute
  • Long Exposure: 3 minutes

Perceived Anxiety

• Construct Definition
  • Perceived anxiety refers to the level of anxiety experienced by participants after being exposed to media content.
  • Encompasses the emotional and psychological response to the content, characterized by feelings of nervousness, worry, and unease.
• Operational Definition
  • Measured using a self-report questionnaire immediately after exposure to media content.
  • Participants rated their anxiety on a scale from 1 (no anxiety) to 5 (severe anxiety).
  • Example question: “How anxious do you feel right now?”
  • Scores were collected and analyzed to determine the impact of media format and exposure length on perceived anxiety levels.

Hypothesis

• Main Hypothesis
  • The format and duration of media exposure will significantly impact perceived anxiety levels.
  • Participants exposed to social media posts will experience less anxiety compared to those exposed to short essays.
  • The duration of exposure (one minute vs. three minutes) will moderate the relationship between media format and perceived anxiety, with shorter exposure leading to higher anxiety levels.

Figure of actual results for 10 bonus points

                                 Df Sum Sq Mean Sq F value Pr(>F)
`Exposure length`                 1   0.53  0.5315   0.477  0.492
`Media format`                    1   1.72  1.7180   1.541  0.218
`Exposure length`:`Media format`  1   0.08  0.0836   0.075  0.785
Residuals                        82  91.40  1.1146               

Discussion

• Limitation
  • Construct Validity:
    • Used time limits rather than longer social media posts and essays
    • Potential for participants to distract themselves after reading the content
    • No way to ensure full attention, possibly reducing total exposure time to the conditions
    • This could result in data with less meaning due to reduced exposure time
• Strength
  • Real-World Application:
    • Utilized actual social media posts and essays
    • Highly relevant to real-world scenarios
    • Enhances the ecological validity of findings
    • Provides insights into how everyday media consumption can affect anxiety
• Implication
  • Impact on Mental Health Interventions:
    • Highlights the importance of considering media format and exposure length
    • Helps in developing interventions to manage anxiety
    • Aids mental health professionals in creating more effective strategies to mitigate anxiety related to media consumption

Take Home Message: Media Exposure and Anxiety: Confounding Factors Matter

• Key Point:
  • Results supported the null hypothesis
  • Indicated no significant effect of media format or exposure length on anxiety levels
  • Likely due to confounding factors in the study design
• Hopeful Note:
  • Understanding the complexities of media exposure to anxiety is crucial
  • Future research with improved design can offer clearer insights
  • This can pave the way for effective anxiety management strategies in our digital age
  • Let’s continue to refine our approaches to better understand and improve mental health outcomes