Resources & Research
Learn more about the research behind the Socially Fed Pyramid
Research Foundation
The Socially Fed Pyramid is built on extensive research into social media usage patterns and their effects on wellbeing. Here are some of the key research papers and concepts that inform our work:
Active vs. Passive Use
Our concept of active and passive social media use is based on research by Frison & Eggermont (2015) in their paper "Toward an Integrated and Differential Approach to the Relationships Between Loneliness, Different Types of Facebook Use, and Adolescents' Depressed Mood." This research demonstrated that active social media use was associated with better outcomes over time compared to passive use.
Measuring Usage Types
Our calculator is adapted from the "Passive and Active Facebook Use Measure (PAUM)" developed by Gerson, Plagnol & Corr (2017). This validated measure helps distinguish between different types of platform engagement and their varying effects.
Social Media Integration
The concept of healthy social media integration comes from research on how social media can be incorporated into daily life in ways that enhance rather than detract from wellbeing, as studied in "Development and validation of a social media use integration scale" (Jenkins-Guarnieri et al., 2013).
Social Capital & Connection
The positive aspects of social media use, particularly around building community and connection, are informed by research such as "Benefits of Facebook 'friends': social capital and college students' use of online social network sites" (Ellison et al., 2007).
Additional Resources
Books
- Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
- How We Became Human by Tim Dean
- Supernormal Stimuli by Deirdre Barrett
- Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Websites & Tools
- Center for Humane Technology
- AllSides - Balanced news from across the political spectrum
- NetSafe NZ - Online safety resources
- Screen Time settings on iOS and Digital Wellbeing on Android
Articles & Papers
- "Association of Social Media Use With Social Well-Being, Positive Mental Health, and Self-Rated Health" (Bekalu et al., 2019)
- "The Relationship Between Facebook Use and Well-Being Depends on Communication Type and Tie Strength" (Burke & Kr