PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Social media platform tailoring could support more fulfilling use, study finds

2025-05-07
(Press-News.org) Redesigning social media to suit different needs of users could make their time online more focused, according to new research by University of Bristol academics.

The study, presented today at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Yokohama, Japan, suggests that the key to a having a positive experience online is finding the right level of personal investment – neither too much nor too little.

Conducted by researchers examining digital self-regulation, they reveal distinct user types and propose that social media platforms could be remodelled to support more intentional use.

Lead author Dan Bennett from Bristol’s Faculty of Science and Engineering said explained: “Many people feel the need to better control their time on social media. While social media offers entertainment, social connection and opportunities for personal growth, people feel the need to better manage their engagement, to avoid wasting time and engaging in a way which damages their mood and well-being.

“We know that one size does not fit all for digital self-control. People are affected differently by their social media use and have different needs for managing their time online. However, we have lacked data on what drives different experiences and needs, and how to adapt social media designs to suit these needs.”

This study introduced a person-centred machine learning approach to categorise social media users into groups based on their motivations and behaviours:

Socially Steered Users – feel strongly constrained by peer expectations and pressures. Automatic Browsers – commonly find themselves engaging without thought or purpose, find their social media use “meaningless”, and struggle with overuse and regret. Deeply Invested Users – do connect social media to personal meaning, identity and goals but again struggle with overuse and regret. Goldilocks Users –see personal value in their social media use, but do not investing much of themselves in it. These users experienced the lowest levels of regret. This research highlights the potential for personalized digital tools to help users self-regulate their social media habits. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, platforms could introduce customized features that support different user needs, such as helping compulsive users regain intentional control, or helping socially constrained users balance the pressures and benefits of social connection.

The findings were based on a survey of 500 participants, using psychological assessments and person-centred machine learning to identify distinct engagement styles.

Dan added: “We identify different types of users on social media — including those who browse without strong intentionality, those deeply invested in their online lives, and those who see value in using social media, but retain personal distance. While the latter group arguably has the best outcomes overall, each group presents unique challenges for self-regulation.

“By tailoring social media designs to these different needs, platforms could help users stay in control and make their time online more purposeful and valued.”

The implications of this work reach beyond social media design into technology use more broadly. In another recent paper the authors found similar groupings of users across a range of technologies, including games, and technologies for personal well-being. Together these results point to data-driven approach to design that can help promote sustainable engagement connected to things that matter to the user, rather than just maximising screen time.

The next phase of this work will explore how social media platforms can identify different user groups, and adapt interfaces to help users engage in a way that aligns with their personal well-being.

 

Paper:

‘Autonomous Regulation of Social Media Use: Implications for Self-control, Well-Being, and Ux’ by Dan Bennett, Feng Feng and Elisa D Meckler presented at CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The hope for detecting Parkinson’s disease much earlier with a simple brain scan

2025-05-07
An international team, led by researchers at the Champalimaud Foundation (CF), has shown – for the first time in a realistic way – that it may be possible to diagnose Parkinson’s disease (PD) years before it becomes untreatable, by scanning people’s brains with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).  Their results were published today (May 8th, 2025) in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. The study was funded by the €200,000 Mantero Belard Award, a neuroscience prize attributed ...

MRI breakthrough could revolutionize diagnosis of common heart problem aortic stenosis

2025-05-07
University of East Anglia scientists have developed cutting-edge MRI technology to diagnose a common heart problem more quickly and accurately than ever before. Aortic stenosis is a progressive and potentially fatal condition, affecting an estimated 300,000 people in the UK. It affects about five per cent of 65-year-olds in the US, with increasing prevalence in advancing age. A new study, published today, reveals how a four-dimensional flow (4D flow) MRI scan can diagnose aortic stenosis more reliably than current ultrasound techniques. The superior accuracy of the new test means doctors can better predict when patients ...

Enhanced CAR T cell therapy offers new strategy for lymphoma

2025-05-07
PHILADELPHIA – A next-generation “armored” CAR T cell therapy showed promising results in a small study of patients whose B-cell lymphomas continued to resist multiple rounds of other cancer treatments, including commercially available CAR T cell therapies. The new therapy diminished cancer in 81 percent of patients and resulted in complete remission in 52 percent, with some of the earliest patients treated experiencing durable remission for two years or more. The findings, led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.  While ...

Researchers identify measure of pulse rate that can predict faster cognitive decline in older adults

2025-05-07
Healthy hearts are adaptable, and heartbeats exhibit complex variation as they adjust to tiny changes in the body and environment. Mass General Brigham researchers have applied a new way to measure the complexity of pulse rates, using data collected through wearable pulse oximetry devices. The new method, published in Journal of the American Heart Association, provides a more detailed peek into heart health than traditional measures, uncovering a link between reduced complexity and future cognitive decline. “Heart rate complexity is a hallmark of healthy physiology,” said senior author Peng Li, ...

Discovery of dopamine receptors in a previously overlooked part of the brain sheds light on the complex circuitry for anxiety and depression

2025-05-07
Mount Sinai researchers have discovered distinct roles for two dopamine receptors located on nerve cells within the portion of the brain that controls approach vs. avoidance behavior. These receptors potentially influence anxiety and mood disorders whose origins are still unclear. The team characterized the function of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in the ventral hippocampus of mice, a region involved in the regulation of emotions and stress responses. Their work expands the field’s knowledge of dopamine signaling beyond its well-known actions in other brain regions that influence reward and motivation, and sets the stage ...

No one to play with? UCLA’s PEERS for Preschoolers program is changing that

2025-05-07
Imagine this: You watch your child at the playground, their eyes lighting up as they approach a group of laughing kids. But instead of welcoming them in, the children turn away. No invitation to join, no shared smiles—just an invisible barrier keeping your child on the outside looking in. For parents, the pain of seeing their child struggle to make friends can be heartbreaking. Every parent wants their child to be included, to experience the joy of companionship, and to feel the warmth of a friendly hand reaching out to pull them into play. But what happens when social skills don’t come naturally? Where do parents turn when their child is struggling to navigate the complex ...

New method provides fresh insights into insect decline

2025-05-07
It has long been known that agriculture contributes to the decline in insect biodiversity. The loss of host plants, frequent mowing, and pesticide use all deprive many species of their habitats. Now, a research team from the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) has discovered—using innovative analytical methods—that the impact of agricultural land use on insect diversity is even more dramatic than previously assumed. The findings are based on an analysis of insect species from 400 families collected across a wide range of habitats in Bavaria. The study was led by Professor Jörg Müller, Chair of Conservation ...

Foot traffic can predict COVID-19 spread in New York City neighborhoods

2025-05-07
A new study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology reveals how foot traffic data from mobile devices can enhance neighborhood-level COVID-19 forecasts in New York City. The research, led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Dalian University of Technology, provides a novel approach to predicting the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and improving targeted public health interventions during future outbreaks. The COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City hard, with infection rates varying dramatically across neighborhoods. ...

Janice R. Lachance, J.D., FASAE selected for top position of global earth and space science association

2025-05-07
WASHINGTON — The American Geophysical Union Board of Directors and Executive Search Committee is pleased to announce AGU’s new Executive Director and CEO will be Janice R. Lachance, J.D., Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives and the National Academy of Public Administration. “Janice has served as an exceptional interim Executive Director and CEO during the last two years, said AGU President Brandon Jones, Ph.D. “She has demonstrated the leadership qualities ...

Eating ultra processed foods may speed up early signs of Parkinson's disease

2025-05-07
MINNEAPOLIS — People who eat more ultra processed foods like cold breakfast cereal, cookies and hot dogs are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson’s disease when compared to those who eat very few ultra processed foods, according to a study published in the May 7, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that eating more ultra processed foods causes early signs of Parkinson’s disease; it only shows an association. Researchers looked for signs of prodromal Parkinson’s disease, which is the earliest stage, when neurodegeneration ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Sulfated yeast rises to the challenge facing rare earth metals

Global analysis reveals how biochar supercharges composting and cuts greenhouse gases

Blocking a cellular switch could prevent lung-scarring disease

Planet formation depends on when it happens: UNLV model shows why

Deep sleep supports memory via brain fluid and neural rhythms

Biochar and iron additives show promise for reviving degraded peatlands and locking away carbon

Cancer cells reactivate embryo-like gene editors to fuel growth

AI analysis of world’s largest heart attack datasets opens way to new treatment strategies

Decoding dangers of Arctic sea ice with seismic, radar method

Counting bites with AI might one day help prevent childhood obesity

Utah chemists discover enzyme that could help build next-generation GLP-1 drugs

Surprising bacteria discovery links Hawaiʻi’s groundwater to the ocean

New grants for schools offer CPR training and resources to make campuses safer

30 NFL players urge fans to join Nation of Lifesavers, learn lifesaving CPR

Study finds humans outweigh climate in depleting Arizona's water supply

Old-school material could power quantum computing, cut data center energy use

Vanderbilt scientist tackles key roadblock for AI in drug discovery

Overheating bat boxes place bats in mortal danger during heatwaves

Study shows medical-legal partnerships aid recovery for patients with violent injuries

Learning the language of lasso peptides to improve peptide engineering

Social conflict among strongest predictors of teen mental health concerns

New framework can improve the planning stage of surgical quality improvement projects

Research shows anger, not fear, shifts political beliefs

Gale and Ira Drukier Prize in Children’s Health Research awarded to pediatric rheumatologist at Boston Children’s Hospital

UNF chemistry professor awarded NSF Grant to advance laser-based measurement technology

Research shows how Dust Bowl-type drought causes unprecedented productivity loss

Non-hibernating pikas' protein restriction tweaks their gut microbiome to help them survive the winter, when winter-active herbivores often struggle to find dietary protein

Not for hearing but for symbiosis

Disconnected cerebral hemisphere in epilepsy patients shows sleep-like state during wakefulness

Incentivizing risk to inspire investments in clean innovation for aviation

[Press-News.org] Social media platform tailoring could support more fulfilling use, study finds