Glossary

Having a common language and understanding is the first step to successful inquiry and conversations. Find clarity here in the Glossary, which includes terms from research, jargon, and everyday use.

A

Access v. use access is having permission / freedom to use a particular thing; use is having a particular thing for consumption/ need
 Access v. use
Activate to set in motion, to organize, to create Activate
Active Social Media Use behavioral pattern of actively creating content or interacting with others
 Active Social Media Use
Anxiety an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure Anxiety
Attention Economy an approach to the management of information that treats human attention as a scarce commodity and applies economic theory to its management Attention Economy
Automatic Attention Response a subconscious process that directs attention to a target stimulus
 Automatic Attention Response

B

Blue Light emitted by digital devices, it is of concern due to the close proximity of screens, length of time, and cumulative impact of use Blue Light
Body image person’s subjective picture or mental image of their own body Body image

C

Catfishing the process of luring someone into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona Catfishing
Causation the action of causing something Causation
ChatBot computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the internet ChatBot
ChatGPT an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022; became prevalent in headlines in March 2023 ChatGPT
Circadian Rhythm physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle and respond primarily to light and dark Circadian Rhythm
Cognitive Capacity limits in cognitive processing and task performance that are thought to arise from limits intrinsic to an organism Cognitive Capacity
Cognitive Stimulation a set of techniques and strategies to improve performance and effectiveness of cognitive capabilities such as memory, attention, language, reasoning, and planning Cognitive Stimulation
Cognitive Wellbeing Cognitive Wellbeing is enhancing, nurturing, and optimizing cognitive functions such as learning, focus, remembering, judgment, intuition and more Cognitive Wellbeing
Collective Agency when a group provides mutual support and work together for things they can’t do on their own Collective Agency
Collective Trauma an entire group’s psychological reaction to a traumatic event that affects an entire society; represented in the collective memory of the group and involves not only a reproduction of the event but also an ongoing reconstruction of the trauma Collective Trauma
Content the subject or ideas contained in something written, said, created, or represented Content
Context the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed Context
Correlation a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things
 Correlation
Cyber-victimization the process in which others are victimized through the use of information and communication technologies
 Cyber-victimization
Cyberbullying use of technology such as phones, instant messaging, e-mail, or social media sites to harass, threaten, or intimidate another
 Cyberbullying

D

Daily Limit number of times something is allowed per day; with technology, often amount of time use of specific tech is allowed
Daily Limit
Depression extreme sadness or despair that lasts more than days, interfering with the activities of daily life and potentially causing physical symptoms such as pain, weight loss or gain, sleeping pattern disruptions, and/or lack of energy
 Depression
Developmentally Beneficial Activities strategies to gain knowledge, skills, or abilities
 Developmentally Beneficial Activities
Device Proximity nearness of tech tool in space, time, or relationship
 Device Proximity
Digital Algorithm digital procedure used for solving a problem or performing a computation Digital Algorithm
Digital Citizenship skills and knowledge to effectively use the internet and digital technologies responsibly
 Digital Citizenship
Digital Detox a period of time without using electronic devices as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world. Similar terms are abstinence, break, disconnection, timeout, or unplugging
 Digital Detox
Digital Divide unequal access to digital technology, creating a division and inequality around access to information and resources
 Digital Divide
Digital Literacy ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information through digital platforms
 Digital Literacy
Digital Media any form of media that uses electronic devices for distribution Digital Media
Digital Native an individual who was born and raised alongside digital media, developing familiarity with technology from an early age
 Digital Native
Digital Wellbeing balanced, intentional, and responsible use of technology Digital Wellbeing
Displacement change in position of an object
 Displacement
Duration the time during which something continues
 Duration

E

Eating Disorder any mental health illness characterized by abnormal eating habits and specific psychopathological symptoms Eating Disorder
Emergent Literacy Activities behaviors responding to the interrelatedness of language in all its forms: speaking, listening, reading, writing, and viewing Emergent Literacy Activities
Emotion Regulation ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experience with the range of emotions in a manner that is socially tolerable and sufficiently flexible
 Emotion Regulation
Emotional Wellbeing ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times
 Emotional Wellbeing
Equity quality of being fair and just Equity
Executive functions a collection of higher-order cognitive skills essential for self-regulation, learning, and academic achievement, as well as mental health Executive functions
Experience sampling an intensive longitudinal research methodology that involves asking participants to report on their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and/or environment on multiple occasions over time; also referred to as a daily diary method
 Experience sampling
Externalizing Problematic Behavior actions (e.g., physical assault, lying, defiance, truancy, substance abuse) that direct problematic energy outward towards others
Externalizing Problematic Behavior

F

Filter bubble a state of intellectual isolation that can result from personalized searches when an algorithm guesses based on information such as user’s location, past behavior, and search history. Also known as ideological frame or thought bubble
 Filter bubble
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media
 FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
Frequently Relevant Stimuli asserts that the strength of an association between a stimulus and some consequences depends partly upon the nature of the consequences Frequently Relevant Stimuli
Fundamental Attribution Error tendency for people to overestimate individual factors and underestimate situational factors
 Fundamental Attribution Error

H

Health Equity state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health Health Equity
High Compliance act of conforming to orders, laws, or accepted norms
 High Compliance
High Screen Time excessive use of screens (especially relating to effect of usage on eyes)
 High Screen Time
Hyperactivity the condition of being abnormally or extremely active
 Hyperactivity

I

Internalizing Problematic Behavior actions (e.g., depression, anxiety, self-harm) that direct problematic energy toward the self
 Internalizing Problematic Behavior
Intervention the act of inserting one thing between others
 Intervention

J

JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) the emotionally intelligent antidote to FOMO; being present and content with where you are at in life
 JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)

K

Kidfluencers someone under the age of 18 who have built/are building a presence on social media platforms creating content to generate views and engagements, often but not always sponsored
 Kidfluencers

L

Latitudinal Study compares different population groups at a single point in time (also known as Cross-sectional Study)
 Latitudinal Study
Light Screen Time lesser amount of screen time (especially relating to effect of usage on eyes)
 Light Screen Time
Limited Capacity Attentional Resources ability to grant only a small portion of attention to the stimulation available
Limited Capacity Attentional Resources
Loneliness subjective experience of lack of connectedness, which arises when one’s intimate and social needs are not adequately met in terms of quantity or quality of social relations
 Loneliness
Longitudinal Study repeatedly examines the same individuals to detect any changes that might occur over a period of time
 Longitudinal Study
Low Compliance act of not conforming to orders, laws, or accepted norms
 Low Compliance

M

Media Literacy ability to critically analyze and evaluate the messages conveyed through media
 Media Literacy
Mediated bring about (a result such as a physiological effect)
 Mediated
Melatonin hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night; long associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle
 Melatonin
Mental Wellbeing realizing one’s own abilities and capabilities, coping with everyday life stressors, working productively, and contributing to community Mental Wellbeing
Meta-analysis ​​examination of data from a number of independent studies of the same subject, in order to determine overall trends
 Meta-analysis

N

Nature Deficit Disorder describes the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illness
 Nature Deficit Disorder
Neural activation system by which neurons in the brain are activated by other neurons to which it is connected; it is how patterns are created in the brain
 Neural activation
Neurodevelopmental relating to or involving the development of the nervous system
 Neurodevelopmental

O

Online Challenges viral content on the net in which one or more people attempt a specific activity, often daring other users to do the same (also known as: web challenge, social challenge, or viral challenge)
 Online Challenges
Online racial discrimination denigrating or excluding individuals or groups on the basis of race through the use of symbols, voice, video, images, text and graphic representations
 Online racial discrimination

P

Parent-Child Interaction connection providing the primary social learning context from infancy
 Parent-Child Interaction
Passive Social Media Use behavioral pattern of only browsing and consuming information
 Passive Social Media Use
Personal Agency the sense that the self is causing or generating an action; the ability of an individual to exert influence over situations
 Personal Agency
Persuasive Design technology features that are engineered and designed to intentionally capitalize on users’ attention for profit and influence, by exploiting research in human behavioral psychology and models of behavior change
 Persuasive Design
Physical Wellbeing maintaining a healthy quality of life in order to get the most out of daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress
 Physical Wellbeing
Positive Social Norms ways in which things are done, rules for behaviors, values, and obligations for service
 Positive Social Norms
Protective Factor conditions or attributes in individuals, families, communities or the larger society that help people deal more effectively with stressful events and mitigate harm to individuals and groups
 Protective Factor
Proxy Agency influence others who have the resources, knowledge, and means to act on their behalf to secure desired outcomes Proxy Agency
PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) The condition may last months or years, with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions
 PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder)

R

Reinforcing Spirals a media theory suggesting that the effects of screen time on wellbeing are mediated through content, and that the content which people tend to seek out is typically consistent with their cognition or present state of mind (for example, adolescents with depression may seek out content that reinforces a depressed mindset)
 Reinforcing Spirals
Risk Factor something that increases susceptibility to another influence Risk Factor

S

Salience how prominent or emotionally striking something is
 Salience
School Cell Phone Ban any regulation that fully prohibits cell phone use within classrooms, restrooms, and/or school offices, unless otherwise sanctioned by an educational professional
 School Cell Phone Ban
School Device Policy rules development by specific school laying out what is acceptable and unacceptable use in that environment
 School Device Policy
Science of the Positive the study of how positive factors impact culture and experience Science of the Positive
Screen Time amount of time spent using a device with a screen such as a smartphone, computer, television, or video game console
 Screen Time
Self-efficacy individual’s belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments
 Self-efficacy
Self-value ​​when you believe you are worthy of respect, love, and well-being Self-value
Shallow processing creating weaker, shorter-lasting memories of something learned or experienced; opposite of deep processing
 Shallow processing
Sleep hygiene creating the best environment and routine to sleep well each and every night
 Sleep hygiene
Social-Emotional Learning educational method that aims to foster social and emotional skills within school curricula; SEL is an acronym for it, and may also refer to social-emotional literacy
 Social-Emotional Learning
Social Media Fatigue situation when users suffer from mental exhaustion after experiencing various technological, informative and communicative overloads
Social Media Fatigue
Social Wellbeing the ability to build and maintain healthy, nurturing, and supportive relationships and to foster genuine connection with those around you
 Social Wellbeing
Sociodemographic measures included sex, age, school, and socioeconomic status
 Sociodemographic
Stimuli a thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction
 Stimuli
Stressor-strain-outcome long-term changes in one stressor lead to corresponding changes in the strain variables, which in turn impacts the outcome variable
 Stressor-strain-outcome

T

Tea either pages or accounts where posters “spill the tea” or gossip about peers
 Tea
Technoference absorption with technology—either intentional or inadvertent— to the extent that an individual’s divided attention disrupts social interactions
 Technoference
Textationship any friendly relationship in which two people utilize text messaging as their primary means of communicating with one another—often requiring minimal effort and indicating a lack of respect
 Textationship
Time Affluence the sense that one has ample time available on a daily basis
 Time Affluence
Time Displacement a situation in which one spends more time engaging with screens than intended, resulting in other activities being pushed aside and replaced by screen use
 Time Displacement

U

Upward Social Comparison any encounter with media content that elicits comparisons with someone perceived to be superior—often lowering self-esteem, triggering depression, and/or intensifying depression over time
 Upward Social Comparison

V

Vulnerabilities specific code or metaprogram hard wired in the human mind that can be exploited to cause harm
 Vulnerabilities

W

With-in Person Inferences noting how changes in one variable influence another for the same person With-in Person Inferences

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