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 The Impact of Media Format and Exposure Duration on Anxiety
Opening Slide
- Social media usage has become an integral part of daily life, influencing 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 among adult Americans.
- Most notable increase: 18–25-year-olds, from 7.97% to 14.66% (Goodwin, et al., 2018)
Media Format
- Construct Definition
- “Media format” refers to the type of content delivery medium used in the study, in this case the distinction between social media posts and short essays
- Operational Definition
- Content is categorized in 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 anxiety reported by participants
- Operational Definition
- Measured using a self-report questionnaire
- Participants rated anxiety on a scale from 1 to 5
- “How anxious do you feel right now?”
Hypothesis
- Main Hypothesis
- Format and duration of media exposure will significantly impact perceived anxiety
- Participants exposed to social media posts will experience less anxiety compared to those exposed to short essay
- Duration of exposure will moderate the relationship between media format and perceived anxiety, with shorter exposure leading to higher anxiety
| Media format | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Social media | short essay | ||
| Exposure time | 1 minute | less anxiety | more anxiety |
| 3 minute | more anxiety | less anxiety |
Figure of actual results for 10 bonus points
Discussion
- Limitation
- Construct Validity:
- Used visual time limits rather than longer social media posts and essays
- No way to ensure full attention, possibly reducing total exposure time to the conditions
- Could result in data with less meaning due to reduced exposure time
- Construct Validity:
- Strength
- Real-World Application:
- Actual social media posts and essays
- Relevant to real-world scenarios
- Real-World Application:
- Implication
- Impact on Mental Health Interventions:
- Designed to Highlight importance of considering media format and exposure length
- Impact on Mental Health Interventions:
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:
- Future research with improved design can offer clearer insights
- We will continue to refine our approaches to better understand and improve mental health outcomes