SPCE 611 Final Project Report with Dr. Laura
Seiverling|Latest Update with complete solution
Project Report
Sofia Abdala, Minh Bui, Nikki Mahoney, Eileen McCarthy, Emily Pilarski, & Whitney Smith
Ball State University
SPCE 611-803
Dr. Laura Seiverling
December 10, 2024
, Abstract
Problematic social media (SM) use can be described as that which impedes relationships,
work, school, sleep, or health. We aimed to replicate a study by Stinson and Dallery (2023) and
modified our behaviors by reducing SM use. Six female graduate students participated in this
study. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate SM usage. A screen
time application was implemented on smartphone devices to monitor each participant's daily
usage of SM within a twenty-four-hour time frame. All participants showed a decrease in their
Internet Addiction Test scores from pre to post intervention which suggest that SM use is
responsive to interventions. Results showed a decrease in SM usage. Several limitations
precluded us from determining a functional relationship.
Literature Review
Social media use is on the rise and although there are many benefits of using social
media, the risks may not be obvious. For many individuals, social media platforms are used as a
necessary means of communicating with others or as a tool to learn new information. However,
excessive social media use can be harmful to an individual’s health and well-being. As a society,
we owe it to ourselves to not only understand the advantages of social media use but the
potential risks involved as well.
The average social media user increased their daily mean average of 136 minutes per day
on social networking sites in 2017 to 146 minutes. Specifically with Americans there are an
average of 230 million people that are active social media users (Stinson & Dallery, 2023).
Excessive social media use can be defined as that which interferes with relationships, school,
work, sleep, exercise, or mental health (Stinson & Dallery, 2023). Issues reported in mental
health regarding excessive social media use include but are not limited to body image issues
, resulting in eating disorders, body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression, etc. (Thai et al., 2023).
Studies indicate that having an excessive existence on social media has also been reported to
have more chances of cyberbullying and internet safety concerns thus increasing challenges in
mental health (Kelly et al., 2018).
Adolescence and young adulthood are periods of vulnerability and research has shown
that high social media usage is associated with poor body image, a predicting factor to eating
disorders (Thai et al., 2023). The current study looks at 220 participants (17-25 yrs., 76% female,
23% male, and 1% other) and how unrestricted access to social media compares to limited social
media access (1 hr./day). In this study, the researchers used screen time trackers and data was
reported daily. Measurements in baseline and post intervention were taken to assess changes in
each participant's appearance and weight esteem. Baseline data was collected for one week and
intervention data was collected for three. The intervention group showed increases in both their
appearance and weight esteem. In appearance esteem, the mean increased from 2.95 to 3.15 and
in weight esteem numbers increased from 3.16 to 3.33, no effects of gender were detected. The
results of this study support the authors hypothesis that reducing daily social media use can,
indeed, reduce poor body image (Thai et al., 2023).
The development of social media platforms in recent decades has led to a significant
phenomenon where individuals develop an addiction to these platforms, which hinders their
daily routines and activities. Pang (2022) argues that social media has the potential to
detrimentally impact various facets of individuals' lives, including both social and emotional
domains. Pang (2022) highlights several significant areas of concern, including the emergence of
anxiety and social disorders, the spread of online violence, and the adverse impact on children's
growth and development.
