The Impact of Shallow Reading in Social Media

The Short-term and Long-term Impact of Word-picture-based and Short Video-based Shallow Reading Behavior in Social Media

Social media is pervasively used in our life. There is a research hypothesis that the information in social media is "shallow" and the long-term use of it will cause readers' addiction, insomnia, and inability to pay attention, thus reducing the efficiency of learning and working. However, there is no systematic study on the relationship between "shallow reading" in social media and attention, addiction, sleep quality, and other mental health. Therefore, the investigators intend to explore the effect of "shallow reading" in social media on mental health based on about 300 healthy subjects by conducting questionnaire, cognitive scale assessment, multi-mode MRI scanning and EEG monitoring. A cross-sectional study will be combined with a longitudinal study to explore the clinical characteristics its relationship to brain function.

With the development of social media such as "twitter", "Facebook" and "Microblog", "shallow reading" has gradually become the main way for people to obtain external information and relax. "Shallow reading" is characterized by incomplete and intermittent reading patterns, and readers often "dip into it" without thinking. There is a research hypothesis that the information in social media is "shallow" and the long-term use of it will cause readers' addiction, insomnia, and inability to pay attention, thus reducing the efficiency of learning and working. Some researchers even concern that "shallow reading" is destroying human beings' suspicion spirit, thinking ability and rational thinking which are based on writing and print culture. However, there is no systematic study on the relationship between "shallow reading" and attention or other mental health, not to mention its fMRI and EEG characteristics. Therefore, the investigators intend to explore the effect of "shallow reading" in social media on mental health based on about 300 healthy subjects by conducting questionnaire, cognitive scale assessment, multi-mode MRI scanning and EEG monitoring. A cross-sectional study will be combined with a longitudinal study to better understand both the short-term and long-term effect of "shallow reading" habit to the mental health and imaging characteristics. The collected indexes will be analyzed to explore the clinical characteristics of people with the habit of "shallow reading", and its relationship to mental health, brain imaging characteristics will finally be clarified.

Four parallel group, each with a different intervention, of which two are shallow reading in social media (different type), the other two are common use of smartphone.

Continuous performance test (CPT) will be used to assess the difference of sustained attention before and after social media use. minimum: 0 maximum values: 1 Higher scores mean a better outcome.

Stroop color word test (SCWT) will be used to assess the difference of selective attention before and after social media use. minimum: 0 maximum values: 1 Higher scores mean a better outcome.

Artery spin labeling (ASL) in MRI will be used to assess the difference of cerebral blood flow before and after social media use.

Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) in MRI will be used to assess the difference of functional connectivity before and after social media use.

Inclusion Criteria: Health volunteers Capable to use smartphone Exclusion Criteria: Participants with a BMI greater than 30 or less than 18.5 Any use of cigarettes or alcohol Color blindness Left-handedness With mental or psychiatric disorders With cognitive impairment Has a history of brain trauma Has a family history of psychiatric disorders