TY  - JOUR
AU  - Lee, David
AU  - Jiang, Tao
AU  - Crocker, Jennifer
AU  - Way, Baldwin
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/12/8
TI  - Social Media Use and Its Concurrent and Subsequent Relation to a Biological Marker of Inflammation: Short-Term Longitudinal Study
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e46309
VL  - 25
KW  - social media use
KW  - inflammation
KW  - physical health
KW  - well-being
KW  - screen time
KW  - mental health
KW  - social media
KW  - biomarker
KW  - chronic disease
AB  - Background: Although many studies have examined the impact of social media use (SMU) on mental health, very few studies have examined the association of SMU with health-relevant biomarkers. Objective: Addressing this gap, we conducted a short-term longitudinal study examining the link between SMU and C-reactive protein (CRP), a biological marker of systemic inflammation predictive of major depression, chronic diseases, and mortality. Methods: We measured college students’ weekly amount of SMU for 5 consecutive weeks objectively via the Screen Time app and collected blood samples at baseline and 5 weeks later. Results: In separate cross-sectional analyses conducted at phase 1 (baseline) and at phase 2 (5 weeks after baseline), objective SMU had a positive, concurrent association with CRP at both time points. Critically, in a longitudinal analysis, more SMU between phase 1 and phase 2 predicted increased CRP between these time points, suggesting that increased SMU led to heightened inflammation during that period. Conclusions: Although more research is needed to understand why SMU led to higher inflammation, the association between objective SMU and a marker of a biological process critical to physical health presents an intriguing opportunity for future research on social media effects. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e46309
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/46309
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38064253
DO  - 10.2196/46309
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/46309
ER  -