Effects and correlates of internet use: A meta-analytic assessment

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Markus Appel
• Subject Area: Developmental and Educational Psychology ; Communication Sciences
• Term: from 2015 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 277139375

The effects and correlates of the reception or use of the Internet by children, adolescents, and adults, notably in form of social networking sites such as Facebook, is a pressing topic for researchers and the public alike.The goal of this 36-month project is to provide an overview of the empirical data in this field by means of a series of quantitative meta-analyses. The relevance of a meta-analytic approach is due to diverging theories and hypotheses, heterogeneous findings, and a literature that involves many different disciplines. The project is focused on the following fields which are, as is frequently expected, associated with the use of the Internet or particular Internet applications: 1) participation and civic engagement, 2) social interaction and loneliness, 3) well-being and self-esteem, 4) narcissism, 5) personality and the Big Five, 6) student engagement/involvement and school performance, and 7) obesity. This project is situated in the field of media psychology and it is built on prior work by the applicant. This includes his work on correlates and effects of the use of the Internet and new media. As part of a recent review article, the applicant provided an overview of the field, with an emphasis on scarcely available meta-analytic findings. His additional prior work addressed media literacy and computer literacy, the relationship between Internet use and loneliness, and between Internet use and verbal aggression. The plan of work consists of four work packages. For each work package, several meta-analyses are planned. The methodology is based on the current meta-analysis literature. The stepwise approach starts with a systematic retrieval of relevant empirical findings, the selection of suitable studies, coding of all relevant variables and the computation of meta-analytical indices and results. This includes a transformation of the effect size indicators, the assessment of the mean effect size, analyses of homogeneity, moderator analyses, and an analysis of potential publication bias. The latter will involve funnel plots, fail-safe-n analyses, and p-curve distributions. A special emphasis is given to a distinction of media use variables, as well as to moderator analyses, which account for potential effects of sample age as well as publication status, research design, year of data assessment, world region, and operationalization. The results of the project will be published in 6-8 articles in SSCI-ranked journals. The results are meant to be disseminated to a broader public, and beyond disciplinary borders. To this end an Internet platform is planned which is also conceived to become a resource for fellow experts to retrieve all meta-analytic data and coding results. This allows for an up-to-date re-analyses of the data by fellow colleagues.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants