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Towards an understanding of social media: The effects on health, well-being, and genetic susceptibilities

Project description

Investigating social media impact on health

The global population engages with social media daily, yet our understanding of its health impacts is hindered by limited available usage data. To address this knowledge gap, the MSCA-funded SOCIAL project leverages unique datasets to explore how social media use affects health. It will use the findings to devise smart and effective regulations. The project will also examine the effects of significant events such as the 2021 Facebook papers leak, the 2022 TikTok ban on government devices, Instagram’s shift to an algorithmic feed in 2016, and the 2024 EU Digital Services Act on social media users. Additionally, the project will investigate genetic factors that influence social media usage patterns.

Objective

In 2022, 63% of the world population actively used social media, spending a daily average of 2 hours and 27 minutes on these platforms. Despite its widespread adoption, our understanding of social media's impact on health and well-being remains limited, mostly due to lack of data availability on social media use. SOCIAL leverages several unique data sets and takes a comprehensive approach to investigate the effects and susceptibilities associated with social media use. This knowledge is fundamental to design smart and effective regulations that promote promote individual well-being in an era of rapid digital evolution.

This proposal introduces a novel perspective to social media research. It aims to study the 2021 Facebook papers leak, the 2022 TikTok ban on government devices, Instagram's transition to an algorithmic feed in 2016, and the 2024 EU Digital Services Act, examining their impact on social media users. Additionally, it investigates the genetic factors influencing social media usage patterns, utilizing molecular genetic data and a within-family design to explore whether genetic susceptibilities to mental disorders contribute to social media use patterns.

This action, unfolding at Nova SBE in Portugal under Prof. Pedro Pita Barros' guidance and Ctia Batista collaboration, addresses research questions, offers training and career development, and greatly enhances skills and fosters my career prospects. By joining Nova SBE, I'll broaden my network, fortify capabilities, and leverage my expertise in health economics, econometrics, and social-science genetics to expand their research capacity.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 156 778,56
Address
CAMPUS DE CAMPOLIDE
1099 085 Lisboa
Portugal

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

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