I.

Summary

The study is one that discovers the social and personal ramifications of social media use. I want
to determine if people become lonely and/or depressed based on their use of social media. The use can
be measured from low to medium, to high levels of usage, and the amount of social media sites and
apps each person uses. I also want to consider age as a factor in consequence of media use. Based on
the results, I want to determine if there is need for more studies to find procedures to help lower the
consequences of social media use.

My study would fit into the category of an advanced study. It has a specific hypothesis and goal
in mind, and has a procedure(s) that can be created if needed.

I am an undergraduate student at the Rochester Institute of Technology, in both the Psychology

and Sociology departments. Since this study would focus more on the psychological and social effects of
using social media, the study would be run through the Psychology Department. With my studies in both
departments, I have the experience of creating experiments, looking up and committing to research. I
have previous experience in helping a professor in their research, and can conduct the necessary steps
in searching, analyzing, and presenting the information for this study.

II. Introduction

Technology has become a large aspect of todays society, and the influence it has on people is
not as well-known as it should be. Especially considering children, the consequences can be worrying if
unknown. There are possibilities for children to become psychologically unbalanced, or to develop more
psychological disorders. The use of social media needs to be researched to place restrictions if necessary
to benefit society and balance every individuals ability to communicate and function. I plan to observe,
record, and analyze the amount of social media people use compared to their psychological functioning
(feeling of loneliness).

I hypothesize that if someones social media use is high, they will report being lonelier than
those who have low and medium social media use. Within the ten weeks, I believe I can show these
effects and to the extent that a second study can be proposed to counter the effects of the high social
media use. If I can show that there is a disruption in psychological functioning and then create a way to
reverse the effects, I believe it would not only be beneficial to society, but to the future of psychology as
well. With the technology constantly being updated and further instilled into our everyday lives, it is of
great value to know if there are adverse effects.

Due to the high nature of technology use, myself included, I have always wondered how it
affected people. Older generations would compare their lives to the younger ones, mostly saying how
they remember playing outside rather than on a computer screen. And I started to wonder how this
would affect the communication, well-being, and psychological functioning of people. I hope to have
samples from multiple generations to also compare if there is a generational gape along with the level of
use. This could possibly help to set certain restrictions or policies for decreasing any effects.
III. Methodology

Before starting research, I need to meet with an advisor within the Psychology Department that
will agree to collaborate with me and help me to research and analyze any data. With them there needs
to be a plan to analyze the information together, so likely there will be an agreement to meet once a
week and continue communication through email.

For a starter point and background information, I need to take a week or two to delve into
previous work and studies that are related to my hypothesis. This includes, but is not limited to those
that mention the use and effects of social media, how people use media sources; what types of media
sources are used, how age groups use social media, etc.

I will need to monitor the use of social media through multiple groups of individuals, so I will get
them to self-report to get the most accurate data. I will give them logs to report their use of social
media. They will also need to report on their psychological functioning throughout the ten weeks with
rating scales ranging from emotional to societal data. A lab will be needed to analyze the psychological
effects of the participants using an electroencephalography machine. To reach the participants, I will
need them to report to the lab and I will need to go to them and collect their data weekly. After
gathering participants, I will gather all information and analyze their psychological functioning for the
first time. Then again halfway through the ten-weeks, and for the last time at the end of the ten-weeks. I
will must maintain all records and confidentiality always.

IIII. Materials

1. Faculty Advisor
2. Participants: around 50. Ranging from toddlers to the elderly that all have some level of social
media use.
3. Wallace Library: online and physical databases
4. Psychology Department Lab: to measure and analyze some of the data.
5. Participant Homes: this is where I will meet them weekly to collect their self-reported data.
6. Electroencephalography (EEG) Machine: to measure brain activities and levels when collecting
data.

IV. Schedule of Work

Week 1: Meet with advisor and go over the experiment. Consider any problems and plan for
them, so there arent significant influences or error in data.

Week 2: Research previous information and studies for background information. Gather
participants.

Week 3: Collect the first sets of data and analyze.

Week 4: Meet with all participants and gather their self-reported data. Interview them on their
use of social media, societal functioning, and psychological well-being.

Week 5: Meet with all participants and gather their self-reported data. Interview them on their
use of social media, societal functioning, and psychological well-being.

Week 6: Collect the second sets of data and analyze.

 Week 7: Meet with all participants and gather their self-reported data. Interview them on their
use of social media, societal functioning, and psychological well-being.

Week 8: Meet with advisor to start finalizing research and data. Begin completing experiment.

Week 9: Collect the final sets of data and analyze.

Week 10: Finalize all information and data. Meet with professor to write report(s). Present data
if necessary.

V. Budget

A. EEG machine care and run: $2,500

B. Incentives for Participants: $7,000
C. Lab Use: $1,000
D. Transportation: $1,500
E. Experimenter Payment: $5,000

Total: $17,000

VI. Biographical Background

My advisor will be Dr. Joseph S. Baschnagel, Ph.D.

He is the Director of the Psychology Department and has experience in addiction and the
behaviors. His focus is on the specifics of emotional and attention effects of addictions, and has
collaborated with multiple undergraduate students using eye-tracking and sensory machinery.

Relevant Publications:

Baschnagel, J. S., Coffey, S. F., Hawk, L. W., Jr., Schumacher, J. A., & Holloman, G. (2013).

Psychophysiological Assessment of Emotional Processing in Patients with Borderline Personality

Disorder with and Without Comorbid Substance Use. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research,

and Treatment, 4, 203-213. doi: 10.1037/a0029777

Ashare, R.A., Baschnagel, J.S., Hawk, L.W. (2010). Subjective effects of transdermal nicotine in

nonsmokers: Overall effects and moderation by personality. Experimental and Clinical

Psychopharmacology, 18, 167-174.

Baschnagel, J.S. & Edlund, J.E. (2016). Affective modification of the startle eyeblink response during

sexual and emotional infidelity scripts. Evolutionary Psychological Science, doi: 10.1007/s40806-

016-0041-0

I am in my third year as a Psychology and Sociology undergraduate student. Previously I have

worked one semester as a research assistant with a Psychology professor in relation to ADHD on college
campuses. My course education has included Research Methods, Clinical Psychology, Abnormal
Psychology, Human Biology, and Technical Writing. For my senior year, I must complete a senior project,
of which this could fit the requirement or connect to the relevant information.

VII. Conclusion

This research question is pertinent to the society today. There is little information about the
effects of social media use, even though it has connections to all areas of life. With the possibilities of
effects and influences, it would make sense to create opportunity for reliable knowledge. I believe my
study would influence the creation of a social media research area in psychology. Psychology has yet to
deeply look into how [social] media is incorporated and effects our society.