1.

Provide the full APA style reference for the original scientific research report and
copy the abstract below verbatim. If more than one article is referenced, provide just
one (2 marks).
Primack, B., Shensa, A., Sidani, J., Whaite, E., Lin, L., & Rosen, D. et al. (2017). Social
Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S. American Journal
Of Preventive Medicine.
2. Provide a (200 word) media summary of the scientific research. You should convey
the critical findings while also making it accessible to the layperson (i.e., presented
without jargon). Please note we will use the media and journal articles as sources when
checking for plagiarised content, so make sure your written summary is presented in
your own words. (200 words maximum; 5 marks)
Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation among Young Adults in the U.S. is a
scientific article published in the journal Preventive Medicine. The six authors performed a
cross-sectional experiment which began in 2014 and was published this year. Its aim was to
measure the degree of perceived social isolation and if there was correlation or causation
through the use of social media (SMU). A cohort of 1,787 people aged between 19-32
completed an online web-based surveys. The variables assessed were time and frequency of
(SMU), perceived social isolation and seven other influencing personal variables. Their
results found that people had lower perceived social isolation if they used social media less
than 30 minutes a day and visited sites less frequently throughout the week. Parallel to this if
SMU > 121 minutes with an increased frequency of visits, it doubled the individuals PSI.
Furthermore, individuals who spent > 58 visits were three times more likely to experience
PSI. However, they also found correlations between co-variables. Notably, two variables:
household income and relationship status, were also strongly related to PSI. Where
participants in a relationship and earning a higher income usually had a decreased PSI.
In the authors discussion of the findings they noted that whilst there was a strong correlation
between PSI and SMU there is no clear indication of which variables caused the effects first.
In fact they stated it may be possible that people turn to social media when they feel isolated.
They concluding by re-stating that SMU has an independent and strong correlation with PSI.
Words: 260

3. Provide either a) one piece of evidence reported in the scientific article, or b) one
discussion point raised in the scientific article, that was not presented in the media
report. Discuss the implications of this additional piece of evidence or discussion point,
and comment on why you think this content was not mentioned in the media report.
(200 words maximum; 5 marks)
A discussion point that the media article Social Media Exacerbates Perceived Social
Isolation neglected to mention was the strong association between the roles of relationship
status and income and PSI. These variables are considered to be interacting variables as they
would have significantly influenced the cause of perceived isolation. This implicates the
results as it suggests SMU is not the only primary cause of PSI which the media article
portrays. Therefore, I believe the media article did not mention this as it informs to reader of
an alternative explanation. In this sense the media article can be seen as a form of
pseudoscience as it neglected to point out relevant evidence. It did this to heighten the
engagement level of the reader, as discussing other variables may seem complicated to
someone who is reading passively. Simplifying the findings for the reader, they can easily
identify cause and effect, and this gives them a sense of achievement.
Words: 156

CHOOSE EITHER 4A or 4B 4A. Find one example of how the researchers sought to
test an alternative explanation, or where they controlled for the effect of another
variable(s). Describe this aspect of the research design and state how it bolstered the
conclusions that they drew from the research. (200 words maximum; 5 marks) 4B.
Describe a potential flaw with the research presented in this article. What could the
researchers do to address this issue in a follow up experiment? (200 words maximum; 5
marks)
A potential flaw in the experiment was the subjective nature of the survey. In asking the
participants to estimate how much time they spent on social media, they could have given
bias answers. This was highlighted in the scientific article, where the authors stated that the
estimates of SMU in the study were lower than that of other studies. A referenced example,
was the study: the demographics of social media users.
To address this issue, the researches could have used various technological trackers on the
individuals devices to accurately measure the amount of time and visits per day. For
example, apps such as Antisocial, Quality time and websites such as rescue time all
monitor the amount of time spent on social media, visits and which application you have
spent time on. Furthermore, a longitudinal study may have improved accuracy in the results.
If the participants were asked questions each day for a short period of time they would
become more aware of how much time they spent on social media.
Words: 170
5. Conduct a literature search to find one additional article that you think might be
relevant to this topic. Give the full APA reference and copy the abstract into your
answer. In no more than 100 words, state why you think this will be a relevant and
important article to read. (3 marks)

Kim, J., LaRose, R., & Peng, W. (2009). Loneliness as the Cause and the Effect of
Problematic Internet Use: The Relationship between Internet Use and Psychological Well-
Being. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(4), 451-455.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2008.0327

Abstract
The current research started from the assumption that one of the major motives driving
individuals Internet use is to relieve psychosocial problems (e.g., loneliness, depression).
This study showed that individuals who were lonely or did not have good social skills could
develop strong compulsive Internet use behaviours resulting in negative life outcomes (e.g.,
harming other significant activities such as work, school, or significant relationships) instead
of relieving their original problems. Such augmented negative outcomes were expected to
isolate individuals from healthy social activities and lead them into more loneliness. Even
though previous research suggests that social use of the Internet (e.g., social networking sites,
instant messaging) could be more problematic than entertainment use (e.g., downloading
files), the current study showed that the former did not show stronger associations than the
latter in the key paths leading to compulsive Internet use.

This was a longitudinal study, which aimed to test if loneliness lead to an increased use of
social media and downloading. This would be an important article to read, as it takes the
opposite approach to the first scientific article. It measured and found that if an individual
feels more isolated they use the internet to cope. Their explanation to why SMU increased is
relevant. However, in comparison, they also tested online downloading entertainment,
finding it had an increased negative affect on an individuals perception of loneliness. This
was not tested for in the first article, and it would be relevant to read about other variables
which are related to this topic.
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