Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Journalism (Communication)

For a long time habit has been a blind spot of research on media attendance generally and Internet usage particularly. Especially uses and gratifications approaches have mainly focused on intentional and conscious motives. Psychological research and recent studies on media attendance, however, suggest that habit is an important determinant of media behavior, too. This study set out to examine the role of habit in the use of online news, a medium traditionally associated with instrumentality and information needs. The study draws on social cognitive theory as theoretical framework. Two hundred fifty-nine usable datasets were gathered through an open online survey. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed habit strength as an independent factor. Habit strength had a significant influence on overall usage of online news. It was further correlated to deficient self-regulation, pass time and other self-reactive incentives, and context stability. An exploratory factor analysis tentatively confirmed hypothesized dimensions of online news behavior such as searching, elaboration, use of visual elements, follow-up actions, and distraction. These dimensions, however, lacked internal reliability.

Committee: Michael S. Sweeney (Committee Chair); Benjamin Bigl (Committee Member); Hans-Jo¨rg Stiehler (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Communication; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Multimedia Communications; Psychology; Web Studies

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Curriculum and Instruction

Child media use with young children has become a more common occurrence in daily life, with parents overseeing the child's media use. During the 2020-22 COVID-19 pandemic, as parents experienced higher levels of stress, child media use increased (Hartshorne et al., 2021). To frame parents' experience of managing children's media use during the pandemic, this study interviewed eight parents of children, ages 2-5 years, during the 2020-22 COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected using semi-structured questions, and photo submissions from participants as prompts for in-depth exploration of the topic. Findings revealed parents engaged in three major parenting practices of evaluation, management, and observation in an iterative cycle to encourage healthy media habits. Within the practice of evaluation, they decided what media to encourage, restrict, and tolerate. To manage the media use, they set expectations, controlled content, and modeled media behaviors. Parents made changes to improve their child's media experiences by observing the child's reactions to the content, amounts of media, and devices used. Through the lens of Parent Development Theory (Mowder, 2005), it was noted that child media use supported the parent role of providing child safety, behavioral regulation, bonding experiences, and educational experiences. During the pandemic, child media use increased in part as a response to the reduction in resources such as childcare, playdates, and child-centered activities outside the home. In addition, parents found creative ways to adapt child media use to support their own needs for self-care and social support during the pandemic to avoid burnout and be resilient parents to their young children.

Committee: Nancy Jennings Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Constance Kendall Theado Ph.D. (Committee Member); Allison Breit Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Software

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The main goal of this dissertation was to evaluate a wide range of attitudes and behaviors related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) among Saudi young adults. Therefore, two studies were conducted on a large sample of Saudi undergraduate students. Study 1 aimed to address the scarcity of psychometrically sound measures of media and technology-related attitudes and behaviors in Arabic by culturally adapting and psychometrically assessing the Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale (MTUAS) and a Media Multitasking Scale (MMS-modified). Results provided evidence in support of content and construct validity, internal consistency, and gender-related measurement invariance of the Arabic MTUAS and MMS-modified. Study 2 sought to address the indefinite findings regarding the direct relationship between technological anxiety and academic performance by empirically examining the mechanisms underlying this relationship using a moderated serial mediation model. Results indicated that technological anxiety predicted excessive media and technology consumption and media multitasking. They also revealed that excessive consumption predicted students' multitasking behaviors, regardless of their multitasking preferences. Mediation results showed that students who experience elevated symptoms of technological anxiety had lower academic performance due to their media and technology overuse. Additionally, the direct negative effect of media and technology consumption on academic performance was moderated by self-regulatory self-efficacy. This effect was unexpectedly stronger for students who held moderate to strong self-regulatory beliefs. Explanations for the unforeseen findings were discussed. Furthermore, theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions were presented for each study.

Committee: Ji-Ann Li (Advisor) Subjects: Information Technology; Mass Media; Technology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

Internet and interactive technology have become increasingly widespread and integral parts of daily life, contributing to the growing number of internet users in China. Gender is a popular topic in diverse fields and areas and plays a critical role in many contexts. The current study focuses on investigating and exploring the differences and similarities between genders among Chinese adolescents in their usage and perceptions of social media. A total of 232 participants (108 males, 123 females, and 1 participant who refused to answer) completed online questionnaires about their usage of social media and perceptions or insights regarding the impact of social media on peer relationships and academic outcomes. The results showed significant discrepancies and similarities between gender among Chinese adolescents in their usage of social media. However, there was no significant difference between genders in their perception of the impact of social media on peer relationships and academic learning. Understanding adolescents' usage and perceptions of social media enables researchers and others interested in the relationship between social media and adolescents to take more effective actions to facilitate its positive effects and inhibit or mitigate its drawbacks on adolescents.

Committee: Michael Glassman (Advisor); Tzu-Jung Lin (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2020, School Psychology

Anxiety is on the rise in the world today. The American College Health Association (2018) surveyed 31,463 college students and found that 60.9% of the respondents had experienced overwhelming anxiety at some point within the last 12 months. Social media use has become more and more rampant, with research suggesting that the majority of people in the United States use social media in some form. Media literacy, which incorporates the ability to critically assess and interpret digital content, is a topic are that is increasingly becoming of interest with the pervasiveness of technology. The present study examined the relationship between social media use, media literacy, and anxiety in first-year college students. A sample of (n = 82) first-year college students was surveyed to investigate these variables. Results indicated a significant relationship between social media use and anxiety as well as between social media use and media literacy. No significant relationship was found between media literacy and anxiety. Implications for how educational professionals can serve students based on these results are discussed in this paper.

Committee: Elana Bernstein Dr. (Committee Chair); Sawyer Hunley Dr. (Committee Co-Chair); Ronda Scantlin Dr. (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Continuing Education; Counseling Psychology; Curricula; Demographics; Developmental Psychology; Early Childhood Education; Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Educational Tests and Measurements; Elementary Education; Higher Education; Mental Health; Psychological Tests; Psychology; Quantitative Psychology; Social Psychology; Social Research

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2020, Communication

This study explored if law schools are applying Kent and Taylor's principles of dialogic communication to Instagram. A content analysis was performed on 167 individual posts from 10 law schools. Posts were coded for whether or not they met each principle of dialogic communication, and the audience. Engagement between Instagram users was measured by followers, likes, and comments. It was found that law schools are employing Instagram in a dialogic way but that improvements could be made. This study presents a point of reference for other higher education institutions or law schools to consider when utilizing Instagram as a recruitment tool in their communication efforts.

Committee: Heather Walter PhD (Advisor); Amber Ferris PhD (Committee Member); Rhiannon Kallis PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Introduction: Social media has become a necessary form of communication for young adults in nearly all contexts of life. One such context is in higher education, specifically, university students who are connected and “online” nearly 24 hours a day. Not only are these young adults integrating social media into their collegiate academic experiences both formally and informally, university faculty are also using this form of communication to support their teaching. In recent years, a number of countries in the Middle East have started to use social-networking sites (SNSs) for communication with regularity. One country with a significant proportion of social media users is Saudi Arabia (SA), with Saudi university students being the largest group of active users. In the current study, two scales measuring social media use were translated into Arabic and used with a large sample of undergraduate students in SA. Purpose: Manuscript 1's objective was to examine the psychometric properties (i.e., content and construct validity; internal consistency reliability) of the Arabic version of the Social Networking Time Use Scale (SONTUS) among Saudi undergraduate students. Manuscript 2's purpose was to examine the same psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Social Media and Academic Performance of Students (SMAPOS) scale in a sample of Saudi undergraduate students. Additionally, the functioning of items in both scales was evaluated across male and female students. Methods: A total of 508 undergraduate students at one, large university in SA participated in this study and completed the Arabic versions of both scales (i.e., the SONTUS and the SMAPOS). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Internal Consistency Reliability, and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) were used to analyze the data. Results: Manuscript 1 results showed that the Arabic version of the SONTUS contained three subscales and overall had good psychometric p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Aryn C. Karpinski (Advisor); Jason Schenker (Committee Member); Lee Seon Jeong (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Tests and Measurements

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Media and Communication

Eating disordered behavior is a crucial health issue that has been studied by several researchers over the years and continues to be addressed by many. Extreme concern for body image is acknowledged as one of the foundations for eating disorders and thinness ideal. Therefore, it becomes imperative to understand how young adults will react to universal messages related to body image and body dissatisfaction issues displayed in various forms of media. In this study, an important objective is to examine the prevalence of body dissatisfaction among young adult users of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Yet another objective is to examine if body dissatisfaction among these users is associated with disordered eating behaviors. The present study, using the Theory of Planned Behavior, investigated the socio-cultural factors that may influence self-reported disordered eating behavior in young adults, especially females. To address these objectives, quantitative data were collected using a self-administered online survey. The data analysis found that more the number of hours spent on social media sites, higher is the body dissatisfaction among young adults. The data also show that body dissatisfaction is predicted by low levels of self-esteem, and high level of internalization of thinness ideal. When comparing the association of body dissatisfaction with eating disorders, it was found that among young adult female users of social media, body dissatisfaction levels are positively associated with eating disorder behaviors. When TPB variables were employed to screen for intentions to engage in strict dietary behavior as well as intention to engage anorexic and bulimic behavior, it is found that attitude, subjective norms and peer norms relating to food and thinness, and perceived behavioral control are statistically significant. Furthermore, when intention to perform the desired behavior, along with all other variables, namely attitudes, subjec (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Srinivas Melkote PhD (Advisor); Lara Lengel PhD (Committee Member); Clayton Rosati PhD (Committee Member); Alfred DeMaris PhD (Committee Member); Michael Brooks PhD (Other) Subjects: Communication; Health; Mass Media

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2008, Communication

Across many approaches to media studies, little has been done to understand how the various aspects of men and women's involvement with media products coalesce. A narrow focus on gender differences perpetuates a conceptualization of people as always man or woman, determined by biological, religious, psychoanalytical, societal, and/or cultural definitions. The deficit indicates a need for comprehensive studies to explore the whats, hows and whys of men's and women's engaging with media products that were either meant for them or for the other gender. The problem of focusing on gender differences is related to the problem of how people's engaging with the media has been studied. The process of engaging with a media product is complex, with a variety of material, aka structural, and interpretive, aka agentic, factors interacting that must be studied to understand the process. Often times a single study will focus on one particular aspect of this process, assuming the nature of the others, and in these assumptions gender stereotypes can take root. The purpose of this study was to understand individuals' experiences with gendered media that was meant for theirs and the other gender. Using the dialogic interpretive/performative model of the gendering process as the framework for constructing this research, this study sought to uncover gender commonalities and differences in the gendered media engaging processes of selectings, interpretings, utilizings, and the conditions in which either manifests. A series of interviews, using Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology, were conducted with men and women to explore their experiences with these gendered media. By combining Sense-Making Methodology's Lifeline and Microelement interviewing protocols, men and women recalled four types of experiences with gendered media: media meant for men versus media meant for women; and media used only once versus media used repeatedly. Analysis focused on their selectings, inte (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brenda Dervin (Advisor); Jared Gardner (Committee Member); Daniel McDonald (Committee Member); Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Mass Media

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2010, Journalism (Communication)

An online survey (N=1, 251) of students enrolled at institutions of higher education in Southeast Ohio examined whether internal psychological states, such as attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived risk mediated the relationship between individual media environments and the likelihood of engaging in health-adverse behaviors such as cigarette use and unprotected sun exposure. Linear and ordinal regression procedures were utilized to assess direct and indirect relationships among the variables. Although none of the media use variables were directly related to smoking intentions, both general and health media use were significant predictors of tanning intentions. However, Internet use was the only media channel unrelated to tanning intentions. All psychological states, except perceived susceptibility, were positively related to intentions to refrain from smoking as well as intentions to avoid unprotected sun exposure, as hypothesized. Contrary to prediction, respondents who were the highest consumers of media also had the least favorable attitudes toward engaging in health behaviors and efficacy to do so, they believed that their peer group supported smoking and unprotected sun exposure, and they also perceived smoking and unprotected tanning to be relatively benign behaviors. The exception to these findings was for Internet use, which increased individuals' health attitudes related to smoking as well as perceived susceptibility to, and severity of, skin cancer. Indirect effects revealed that general news use was associated with a greater perception of one's peers and important others engaging in sun protective behaviors, which in turn increased one's own intentions to engage in sun protection behaviors. A single case of suppression was also evident and showed that individuals' decreased perceptions of the severity of cancer enhanced the relationship between general newspaper use and sun protection intentions. An understanding of the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Daniel Riffe (Committee Chair); Hong Cheng (Committee Member); Lynn Harter (Committee Member); Bruce Carlson (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Mass Media

PHD, Kent State University, 2012, College of Communication and Information / School of Communication Studies

Political discussion is an important part of the political process. It is through discussion that people make sense of the complex information presented to them by the mass media. This dissertation examines the relationship between individual differences, motives for using media for political information, and political discussion partners. In this dissertation, I use multiple regression and path analyses to determine the effect of these variables on in-group and out-group discussion frequency. Then I discuss the meaning of these results in terms of political communication and media effects research.

Committee: Paul Haridakis PhD (Committee Chair); William Kalkhoff PhD (Committee Member); Danielle Coombs PhD (Committee Member); Jung-Hyun Kim PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Political Science

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2010, Communication

There is a fear in industries such as print and television that the continued expansion of the Internet is the death of traditional media. The present study uses media complementarity theory and uses and gratifications theory to determine if traditional media and the Internet can exist simultaneously for the fulfillment of health information seeking needs. Primary data analysis of college students revealed a relationship between traditional media use and Internet use for health information seeking in general, and when controlling for perceived gratifications. Furthermore, when examining the role of health orientation in this relationship, results showed that complementarity media use for health information seeking can be examined for all college students, regardless of whether they are active or passive in managing their health.

Committee: James D. Robinson PhD (Advisor); Teresa Thompson PhD (Committee Member); Jonathan Hess PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Health; Health Education; Mass Media

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2010, Communication

With roughly 80% of Americans using the Internet, research into the Internet's impact on other media outlets is of growing importance. The present study employs Media Complementarity Theory to explain media consumption behavior and also attempts to expound upon the theory. The present research aims to test Media Complementarity Theory with a college student sample, and attempts to isolate mechanisms key to understanding consumers' complementary use of media. A sample of 185 undergraduates was solicited to answer surveys that would assess their use of different media channels. The study utilized a newly developed survey instrument. Additionally, the Internet was divided into discrete channels. Results supported Media Complementarity Theory.

Committee: James Robinson PhD (Advisor); Teresa Thompson PhD (Committee Member); Yan Tian PhD (Committee Member); Ronda Scantlin PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Health; Mass Media

MA, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Globally, loneliness is rising at the same time that social media usage (SMU) (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) is increasing. However, drawing conclusions about the impact of SMU on loneliness has been difficult due to: 1) a lack of focus on loneliness outcomes (as opposed to general well-being outcomes), 2) an overreliance on simplistic, time-based measurements, and 3) the lack of a single theoretical perspective that can make sense of contradictory findings from the literature. The current research aims to fill in these gaps by using loneliness as an outcome measure and measures that capture time usage, type of use, purpose of use, and online network familiarity, in conjunction with the interpersonal-connection-behaviors (ICB) framework proposed by Clark et al. (2018). The ICB framework suggests that when SMU is focused on promoting connection, it is linked with positive outcomes, but that when SMU is not focused on promoting connection, it is linked to negative outcomes. Using this theoretical approach, I will further our understanding of how SMU impacts loneliness using Facebook usage data of young adults living in Bangladesh in 2021. Since the majority of studies looking at the impact of SMU on mental health have been done on western populations (U.S and Europe), this research will help to further our understanding of how SMU may be impacting loneliness in a non-western context, allowing for comparison across different cultural environments. By better understanding which online behaviors are more likely to lead to connection as opposed to loneliness, this research could potentially help users maximize the benefits of social media and help to avoid its pitfalls.

Committee: Susan Fisk (Advisor); Josh Pollock (Committee Member); Kristen Marcussen (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Sociology

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2024, Psychology

Social media use has risen dramatically in recent years, leading to increased opportunities to be exposed to racist content online. The purpose of this study was to determine whether social media use mediated the relation between experienced online racism and both problem use and posttraumatic stress symptoms in a sample of Black college students. A total of 108 participants who identified as Black were recruited through the online research platform Prolific. Mediation results demonstrated that experienced online racism was significantly and positively associated with both problem alcohol use (c path; B = .01, p = .004) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (c path; B = .31 .41, p = .001) However, social media use was not significantly associated with problem alcohol use (b path; B = .00, p = .07) and PTSD symptoms (b path; B = -.00, p = .90).Social media did not act as a mediator between experienced online racism and either alcohol-related problems (c' path; B = .01, p = .006) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (c' path; B = .31, p = .001). Results did not change when controlling for negative affect, alcohol consumption and natal sex. However, the direct effects of experienced online racism and both problem alcohol use and PTSD symptoms remained significant in all cases. Overall, these findings suggest that while greater social media can be deleterious in certain contexts, it does not always confer risk but exposure to online racism in any dose is pernicious.

Committee: Susan Kenford Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kyle Stephenson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kathleen Hart Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Psychology - Experimental

Social comparisons are ubiquitous and an important part of the human experience. Comparisons are often dichotomized along a vertical dimension: upward or downward. Specifically, an upward comparison occurs when looking to a superior target and often results in poor psychological outcomes (e.g., low self-evaluations, negative affect); contrariwise, a downward comparison occurs when looking to an inferior target and results in better outcomes (e.g., high self-evaluations, positive affect). The advent of social media and social networking technologies have increased opportunities for comparisons to occur with people all around the world. Moreover, as social media users can selectively self-present positive aspects of their lives on social media, this has created an ideal environment for upward social comparison and subsequent negative outcomes. Moreover, a distinct but related body of literature has shown that how a person engages with social media sites can impact the consequences incurred. Specifically, users can engage with social media content in active ways (e.g., interacting with others, commenting on others' content) or passive ways (e.g., looking at others' content but not interacting, posting, or commenting). Importantly, passive use tends to be associated with poorer outcomes than active use. Across two studies involving online adult samples, the current research used both correlational (Study 1) and experimental approaches (Study 2) to examine the interplay between social comparison content (upward vs. downward or neutral) and type of engagement (passive vs. active) on social media and the impact on well-being and self-esteem. First, for the correlational study (Study 1), participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing their active/passive use of social media, upward/downward comparison tendencies on social media (and more generally), self-esteem, and well-being (i.e., general affective experiences and life satisfaction). We hypothesized that pas (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jason Rose (Committee Chair); Teresa K. King (Committee Member); Jon Elhai (Committee Member); JD Jasper (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2023, Psychology - Clinical

Problematic social networking site use (PSNSU) has demonstrated associations with social anxiety symptom severity across the literature; however, less is known about transdiagnostic psychopathology-related variables that may mediate relationships between PSNSU and fear of evaluation. There is an especially prominent gap regarding mediating variables between PSNSU and fear of evaluation - involving difficulties in emotion regulation (DER) and intolerance of uncertainty (IU). The present study builds on recent research findings that fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with PSNSU severity, and that intolerance of uncertainty is related to PSNSU severity and motives for addictive behavior. There is also a lack of literature regarding how fear of positive evaluation (FPE), a construct unique to social anxiety, relates to PSNSU severity. Given the current prevalence of SNS usage and the social nature of these sites, it is especially important to explore whether individuals who fear social evaluation use SNSs in a problematic way, and whether lesser-studied transdiagnostic constructs such as intolerance of uncertainty and difficulties in emotion regulation mediate the relationship between fear of evaluation and subsequent PSNSU. The present study explored this gap in the literature with a mediation model in which DER and IU explained relations between both FNE and FPE with PSNSU. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and mediation analyses indicated that IU and DER mediated the relationship between FNE and PSNSU, but did not mediate the relationship between FPE and PSNSU. These findings highlight the role of IU in PSNSU for individuals experiencing social anxiety symptoms, which has not been previously established, and provide further support for the relationship of DER with FNE and PSNSU, where DER particularly functions as a mediator of this relationship.

Committee: Jon Elhai (Committee Chair); Peter Mezo (Committee Member); Matthew Tull (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Psychology; Technology

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Information Technology

Despite the increased research on Social Network Services (SNSs) with Use and Gratification (U&G) Theory, most studies have focused on mainstream media. This paper presented a small-scale exploratory investigation of Alternative Social Media (ASM) such as Mastodon arose and provided a new way to think about the interactions on this new SNS form. Moreover, to better understand the differences between them, we compared two gratification groups. The present study employed SurveyMonkey as the online survey tool and to apply questionnaires to the Mastodon-users only on fifteen different Mastodon-instances. Data were collected through this online questionnaire in 2021, using a representative sample (N=150). The survey results suggest that Mastodon users expect and obtain gratifications of "Convenience", "Privacy", "Information Seeking", and "Social Escapism and Support". Moreover, of 7 Paired t-Tests for Gratifications Sought and Gratifications Obtained, three pairs (e.g., Information Seeking; Convenience; Privacy;) show that the most satisfying reasons for users joining and using Mastodon were the platform being informative, easy to use, and the privacy setting will shelter users' information from data mining. This study's main contribution to social-science research is to discover why ASM such as Mastodon arose and provide a new way to think about this new SNS form's interactions.

Committee: Kijung Lee Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Bilal Gonen Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Information Technology

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

More and more young adults are reporting experiences consistent with depressive disorders. There is evidence to suggest that depression and aspects of interpersonal functioning may mutually influence one another: depressive symptoms can determine specific behaviors in interpersonal settings, and likewise, interpersonal behaviors can contribute to future depressive symptoms. The relationship between depressive symptoms and interpersonal functioning is complex but can be expected to become even more intricate as communication and socialization methods evolve in response to changes in technology and culture. It is important that psychological researchers expand their interests accordingly and conduct studies that reflect the diversity in ways individuals connect with one another, to understand how modern channels of communication could impact or result in depressive symptoms. One burgeoning channel worth considering is social media. The current study examined use of multiple forms of social media and relationships with depressive symptoms. Specifically, quantity frequency of social media platform use, as well as quality of uses of social media (passive/active use), were investigated for their impact on changes in depression, and whether depression may impact changes in such uses over a two-month period. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to determine the psychometric properties and factor structures of a social media use questionnaire created by the author. Undergraduate students (N=377) completed electronic questionnaires about depressive symptoms and social media use; approximately one month, students (N=214) completed the same questionnaires, and an additional month later, students (N=128) completed questionnaires a final time. Results from factor analyses indicated several factors from the following domains: social media experiences (acceptance from others, hostility from others, ignored by others), social media behaviors (prosocial or routine activ (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeffrey Ciesla PhD (Advisor); John Updegraff PhD (Committee Member); Michael Beam PhD (Committee Member); Christopher Flessner PhD (Committee Member); Kristen Marcussen PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Communication

While obesity is an important public health issue, media use can be a useful way for prevention and intervention. This study takes an ecologically valid, longitudinal, dynamic systems approach to understand the common motivations driving media use and diet in daily life, and their dynamic fluctuations so as to further understand how media use moderates the influence of emotional needs, social needs, and/or mood on caloric intake for consumers with emotional eating tendencies. Building upon prior work (Hedstrom, 2014), two studies further tested and extends the model developed in the prior work to better predict food consumption from media use in daily life. First, a more nuanced operationalization of the main input of emotional needs is introduced to differentiate arousing and relaxing emotional needs, and to identify their different effects on media use and diet. Second, the model includes social needs to investigate the interaction of social and emotional needs along with mood fluctuations to better understand how they impact media use and diet. These additional differentiation and interactions are found to be important for understanding media use and diet.

Committee: Zheng (Joyce) Wang (Advisor); Joseph Bayer (Committee Member); Hyunyi Cho (Committee Member); Shelly Hovick (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication