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Youth Development & Social Media Group

MEETINGS(FALL AND SPRING SEMESTERS)

Thursdays 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Ball Hall 103A

FACULTY MEMBER

CURRENT & PREVIOUS STUDENT MEMBERS

  • Mollie Carter
  • Sean Holden
  • Angela Robinson
  • Mahbubul Hasan
  • Eric Hosman
  • Ashley Payne

WHO WE ARE

Youth Development and Social Media Group is a research team studying the use of social media and communication technologies among youth (adolescents and emerging adults). The Group is directed by Dr. Chia-chen Yang in the Educational Psychology program at the University of Memphis. Group members are mostly graduate students in the Educational Psychology program, but all interested students are welcome to contact Dr. Yang and discuss ways of participating in the research activities.

OUR GOALS

  • to research topics of interest including: motives and patterns of media/technology use; social relationships, psychological well-being, and self/identity development in relation to media/technology use;
  • to familiarize graduate students with the research process, from searching and reading literature, proposing research ideas, designing studies, collecting data, to analyzing data; and
  • to prepare graduate students for presenting their research findings in the forms of verbal presentations (e.g., conference posters and symposia) and written reports (e.g., journal publications).

CURRENT & PREVIOUS PROJECTS

Social media and self/identity development (2016 Fall – present)

This project focuses on how different modes of social media use (e.g., compulsive use, different online activities, online self-presentation) may be associated with self outcomes via various processes. The goal is to unravel the implications of social media use for self development and the underlying mechanisms.

Multiple social media project (2014 Fall – 2016 Spring)

This project focuses on university students' use of multiple new media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and its association with the users' socio-emotional well-being. Findings will shed light on whether and how the use of different social media platforms is related to the outcomes differently. By studying more than one platform and the various activities afforded by these platforms, we aim to unravel the diverse roles social media can play in young people's lives.