Politically Polarizing Social Media Content and Mental Health

Study Title: Politically Polarizing Social Media Content and Mental Health

Researcher(s): Nicole Aybar, Brianna Burton, Gregory Hurford, Ariana Mikler, Kurt Roben, Ryan Sood, Aashia Khan, Jeff John, Aashia Khan, Jeff John, and Shane McCarty, PhD

Researcher Contact Info: naybar@binghamton.edu, bburton3@binghamton.edu, ghurford@binghamton.edu, amikler1@binghamton.edu, kroben@binghamton.edu, rsood@binghamton.edu, smccarty1@binghamton.edu

You are being invited to take part in a research study conducted by the researchers named above. Below is detailed information for you to consider when determining whether or not to participate. Carefully consider all of this information and ask any questions you may have about it before deciding whether to participate or not.

Voluntary Consent: You are being asked to volunteer for a research study. It is your choice whether to participate or not. There will be no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled if you choose not to participate or to discontinue participation. Your identity will remain anonymous to researchers. Your identity will be protected at all times throughout the survey.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine whether political social media content impacts the mental health of undergraduate students. You are being invited to participate because you are at least 18 years old, and are an undergraduate student. Approximately 100 individuals are expected to participate in this research.

Procedures and Activities: You will be asked to complete an online survey. This survey will include questions related to your social media use, politics, mental health, self-worth, motivation for social media engagement or abstinence, media literacy, political preferences, and political beliefs. Throughout the survey, you will also respond to questions that assess your experiences with social media, mental well-being, and your personal or social influences related to political beliefs. At various points, you will be shown a series of social media videos that vary in political leaning and intensity. For each post, you will be asked to indicate how likely you would be to engage with it (e.g., like, share, comment, or skip), as well as how you feel about the content. Some of the political content could cause mental distress. You may choose “Prefer not to say” or discontinue participation at any time during the survey. Questions that do not include a “Prefer not to say” option may be skipped. There is no cost or compensation for participating in this research.

Duration: Your time commitment will be approximately 15 minutes for the survey.

Risks: Some of the foreseeable risks or discomforts from participation may arise from exposure to politically charged or polarizing social media content, as well as questions related to mental health, political beliefs, and personal values. These topics may cause mild emotional discomfort or distress for some individuals. There is also a slight risk of breach of confidentiality, although all responses will be kept anonymous and stored securely to minimize this risk.

Benefits: The researchers cannot guarantee any direct benefits.

Alternatives: Participation is voluntary, and the only alternative is not to participate.

Step 1. Want to participate?

Access the informed consent form to review your rights as a participant. If you provide consent and all conditions for participation are met, you will be prompted to proceed to the survey at this link: https://binghamton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_etYItWlMWKBEg1E.

Step 2. Complete Survey

Fill out the provided survey at your convenience. This should take approximately 15 minutes. Upon finishing the study, your participation is complete. Thank you for your contribution to our research!

Contact Information

Do you have any questions? Contact us! Principal Investigator: Shane McCarty, Ph.D. Email: smccarty1@binghamton.edu