Student Research Guide WQ25/ Impact of Instagram on Brain Neuroplasticity in College Students

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Alfonso-Fuertes, Isabel, et al. "Time Spent on Instagram and Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Physical Comparison Among Young Adults in Spain: Observational Study." JMIR Formative Research, vol. 7, e42207, 7 Apr. 2023. doi:10.2196/42207. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10131713/

► This source is useful as it concludes how increased Instagram usage affects self-esteem, body image, and physical appearance comparisons among young adults.

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Choudhury, S., and K. A. McKinney. "Digital Media, the Developing Brain, and the Interpretive Plasticity of Neuroplasticity." Transcultural Psychiatry, vol. 50, no. 2, 2013, pp. 192-215. doi:10.1177/1363461512474623. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1363461512474623

► This source explains neuroplasticity and how adolescents’ brains are highly sensitive to environmental influences, making them susceptible to changes from social media.

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Fabio, Rosa Angela, and Stella Maria Iaconis. "The Role of Critical Thinking in Mitigating Social Network Addiction: A Study of TikTok and Instagram Users." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 21, no. 10, 2024, p. 1305. doi:10.3390/ijerph21101305. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11507925/

► This source is useful as it explores the motivation for increased social media use and its effects on users, such as addiction. 

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Fioravanti, G., et al. "The Relationship Between Problematic Instagram Use and Eating Disorders Psychopathology: An Explanatory Structural Equation Model." Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 59, 2024, pp. 1617-1627. doi:10.1007/s00127-023-02477-1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37022359/

► This study discusses how Instagram use relates to negative psychological and emotional changes, resulting in eating disorders among users. 

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Hu, Bo, et al. "Intersubject Correlation Analysis Reveals the Plasticity of Cerebral Functional Connectivity in the Long-Term Use of Social Media." Human Brain Mapping, vol. 43, no. 7, 2022, pp. 2262-2275. doi:10.1002/hbm.25786. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hbm.25786

► The findings in this study reveal that heavy social media use can reshape brain connectivity, emphasizing the importance of understanding it's long-term effects on cognitive functions.

NEWS: "Instagram Culture Breeds Toxic Perfectionism." University Wire, 20 Feb. 2018. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2003285264?accountid=1131&parentSessionId=Z5X3u3gTkbX%2FeAp3MovzVq6ZciTJlHbNK%2FyKVeU68UU%3D&sourcetype=Wire%20Feeds

► In the interview, personal insights and observations are shared about the impact of Instagram on perfectionism and mental health in college students.

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Jia, Hao et al. “Behavioral relevance of the dynamics of the functional brain connectome.” Brain connectivity vol. 4,9 (2014): 741-59. doi:10.1089/brain.2014.0300 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4238311/#s012

► This source is useful as it explains FC, functional connectivity, in the brain and its relation to behavior. 

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Korte, Martin. "The Impact of the Digital Revolution on Human Brain and Behavior: Where Do We Stand?" Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, vol. 22, no. 2, 2020, pp. 101-111. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2020.22.2/mkorte. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7366944/

► This source is valuable as it explains the relationship between neuroplasticity and social media addiction, including the physical changes in the brain related to habits.

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Sherman, Lauren E., et al. "Peer Influence via Instagram: Effects on Brain and Behavior in Adolescence and Young Adulthood." Child Development, vol. 89, no. 1, 2018, pp. 37-47. doi:10.1111/cdev.12838. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5730501/

► This study explores how peer influence in association with Instagram affects brain activity and behavior in adolescents and young adults, highlighting the impact of social approvals such as "Likes."

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Sherman, L. E., et al. "The Power of the Like in Adolescence: Effects of Peer Influence on Neural and Behavioral Responses to Social Media." Psychological Science, vol. 27, no. 7, 2016, pp. 1027-1035. doi:10.1177/0956797616645673. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797616645673?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

►This study explains the relationship between peer dynamics, decision-making, and neural responses in the use of Instagram. Along with the powerful role social media plays in shaping adolescent behavior. 

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Taha, Sharif A, and Howard L Fields. “Inhibitions of nucleus accumbens neurons encode a gating signal for reward-directed behavior.” The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience vol. 26,1 (2006): 217-22. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3227-05.2006 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16399690/

► This source is useful as it explains the nucleus accumbens (NAcs) and its control of goal-related behaviors, which can be implemented in the use of social media.