"My presence is there to be seen for people who judge". Instagram on well-being, body image and body dysmorphic disorder

As social networking site (SNS) use has become increasingly integrated within our daily lives, there is growing concern around the potential impacts SNS use may have on our well-being and body image. However, the interplay between SNS and well-being is complex, and much research continues to rely on self-report measures to capture experiences with SNS. Moreover, previous associations between SNS and body image dissatisfaction point to SNS as playing a role within Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Therefore, the present project aimed i) to investigate the role of SNS usage patterns on psychological well-being outcomes and ii) to identify and understand the features of SNS use that may influence well-being outcomes from the perspectives of Instagram users, individuals experiencing BDD and clinicians working in the field of BDD, taking a focus on the SNS platform Instagram. A multistage mixed methods approach was employed, implementing psychometric assessment, focus groups and interviews, in addition to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with objective monitoring. The results of the empirical studies found: i) SNS as combining aspects of both offline and online peer and media influences, whereby appearance is endorsed through interactive features and influential figures on Instagram, ii) appearance anxiety as significant mediator for Instagram use and well-being outcomes, iii) Instagram usage time, number of notifications and number of Instagram launches are not associated with well-being outcomes, iv) Instagram is a platform wherein BDD behaviours are reinforced, but also a place for finding support and connections, and v) Instagram use may contribute towards maintaining BDD symptoms, but may also be a useful tool in therapeutic treatment. Overall, findings of the present project address the features of Instagram that can contribute towards well-being, body image and SNS behavioural patterns, whilst also contributing to knowledge and understanding around SNS use in BDD

Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction Health Problems: Treatment, Education and Research

This Special Issue presents some of the main emerging research on technological topics of health and education approaches to Internet use-related problems, before and during the beginning of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective is to provide an overview to facilitate a comprehensive and practical approach to these new trends to promote research, interventions, education, and prevention. It contains 40 papers, four reviews and thirty-five empirical papers and an editorial introducing everything in a rapid review format. Overall, the empirical ones are of a relational type, associating specific behavioral addictive problems with individual factors, and a few with contextual factors, generally in adult populations. Many have adapted scales to measure these problems, and a few cover experiments and mixed methods studies. The reviews tend to be about the concepts and measures of these problems, intervention options, and prevention. In summary, it seems that these are a global culture trend impacting health and educational domains. Internet use-related addiction problems have emerged in almost all societies, and strategies to cope with them are under development to offer solutions to these contemporary challenges, especially during the pandemic situation that has highlighted the global health problems that we have, and how to holistically tackle them

An Elicitation Method for Technology-Assisted Goal Setting: Combating Problematic Social Networks Use as a Case Study.

Now that digital media has become an integral part of our everyday lives, people spend significant time using it for various purposes, including social networking and gaming. There is increasing acceptance in the literature of the link between obsessive, compulsive, and excessive usage of social media, e.g. social networks, and the wellbeing of users, whether personal, economic, or social. Despite the research on the negative experiences linked to problematic social networking usage, the work on how to regulate such an effect is at a preliminary stage. In the literature on behavioural change, technology-assisted solutions that utilise the concept of behavioural goals have started to appear, such as gamification and persuasive technology, mainly to increase motivation for change. Also, the literature has revealed that social networks can be augmented with functionalities to assist those seeking to regulate their problematic usage. When technology is used to assist behavioural change, e.g. apps for diet and smoking cessation, requirements become behavioural. While there are established methods for capturing business requirements in organisational information systems, characterised mainly by being a desired and declared state of the system, capturing behavioural requirements, such as goals, requires a different approach to the entire engineering lifecycle. Behavioural requirements gathering and validation would require dealing with issues of unreliability and denial present in problematic behaviours. Therefore, this thesis aims to provide a method expressly tailored to the elicitation of behavioural requirements. The method will be supported by the goal setting strategy and its associated elements. In order to attain this aim, this thesis followed a qualitative research approach with experts, practitioners, and end-users who self-declared having problematic social networking usage and seeking help. This process includes literature reviews, focus group sessions, experts' and practitioners' interviews, user interviews, and analysis of extended survey comments. Research conducted resulted in reference checklists for common goal setting elements, a taxonomy of the negative life experiences associated with problematic usage, and users' perceptions of the use of technology to assist goal setting. The results of the studies helped to propose a method to support users in specifying their goal-setting design requirements. The thesis then evaluated the proposed method with representative users who self-declared having problematic social network usage. The evaluation aimed to investigate the method’s effectiveness, whether it covers all the goal-setting elements, and how communication should work between study participants

Facebook addiction: an exploratory study using mixed methods.

In light of the global popularity and ubiquity of Facebook, this thesis presents an in-depth examination of Facebook addiction. Commonly, researchers measuring potential technological addictions adapt symptoms from more established addictive disorders. However, due to the strong social focus of Facebook, it was expected that addiction to this site would also involve unique symptoms. In order to explore this potential, an exploratory mixed methods research design was used, incorporating three research phases: a systematic review of existingi nternet addiction symptoms, a small-scale qualitative study of five self-identified problematic Facebook users, and a large-scale mixed methods study of 417 general Facebook users. Thematic analysis of the qualitative responses supported all of the core symptoms of internet addiction. In terms of additional potential indicators, it seems that boredom, disconnection, and fear of missing out may be relevant to Facebook addiction. Further statistical analyses were conducted to determine whether Facebook addiction takes different forms, and to identify predictors. Cluster analysis resulted in the identification of three types of potential Facebook addicts: those heavily engaged in social activities and browsing, those who are shallowly engaged in social activities but heavily engaged in browsing, and those who are shallowly engaged both in social activities and browsing, but moderately engaged in gaming. Regression modelling was used to identify the following predictors of Facebook addiction: age, sex, level of Facebook use, and level of concern about Facebook use. This model successfully classified 86% of potential Facebook addicts. Through consideration of the results of this thesis, it was theorised that there may be four potential pathways to Facebook addiction: online social enhancement, social monitoring, procrastination, and entertainment. It was concluded that this thesis provides a first step towards understanding Facebook addiction, but that more extensive exploratory and confirmatory research is needed to obtain construct validity

University catalog, 2015-2016

The catalog is a comprehensive reference for your academic studies. It includes a list of all degree programs offered at MU, including bachelors, masters, specialists, doctorates, minors, certificates, and emphasis areas. It details the university wide requirements, the curricular requirements for each program, and in some cases provides a sample plan of study. The catalog includes a complete listing and description of approved courses. It also provides information on academic policies, contact information for supporting offices, and a complete listing of faculty members. -- Page 4

University catalog, 2016-2017

The catalog is a comprehensive reference for your academic studies. It includes a list of all degree programs offered at MU, including bachelors, masters, specialists, doctorates, minors, certificates, and emphasis areas. It details the university wide requirements, the curricular requirements for each program, and in some cases provides a sample plan of study. The catalog includes a complete listing and description of approved courses. It also provides information on academic policies, contact information for supporting offices, and a complete listing of faculty members. -- Page 3

Digital media and storytelling in higher education

Anita Lanszki's book is about storytelling in the digital media environment. The enterprise is both classical in that it explores the nature of storytelling, which is found in all historical periods and human communities, and modern in that it undertakes a broad overview of contemporary digital culture from the perspective of storytelling. The book is also a methodological guide, illustrated with numerous examples, which has emerged organically from the author's many years of teaching experience. Although the title reflects a focus on the use of digital storytelling in various fields of higher education and research, this excellent work can also be used by professionals working in other spheres of education. Whatever our views on the digital space and age may be, we can probably all agree that we are witnessing a democratization of storytelling in our time. The insights in this book are therefore extremely useful for anyone who is interested in how the timeless practice of storytelling is adapting to the new media environment

University catalog, 2018-19

Welcome to the University of Missouri 2018-2019 catalog! We are pleased to provide an interactive and searchable catalog online. The catalog is a comprehensive reference for your academic studies. It includes a list of all degree programs offered at MU, including bachelors, masters, specialists, doctorates, minors, certificates, and emphasis areas. It details the university wide requirements, the curricular requirements for each program, and in some cases provides a sample plan of study. The catalog includes a complete listing and description of approved courses. It also provides information on academic policies, contact information for supporting offices, and a complete listing of faculty members. Information in the catalog is current as of May 2018.--Page 17