The Science, Technology, & Society (STS) Lab is a research team that uses scientific and humanistic methods to examine technologies’ impacts on humans. Because of an increase in online communication this past year due to the pandemic, this year the STS Lab is creating a research index report analyzing USC students’ social media usage and awareness. Through surveys, polls, and interviews, we will look at students’ engagement with different online platforms and these social networks’ effects on students’ thoughts and behaviors to answer the question: How did social media impact USC students’ mental health in 2021?
During Spring 2022, we will be compiling student responses, analyzing and visualizing data, and finally composing the paper to create an index report. We will produce an academic scientific research report together with the goal of presenting it at Shift’s Tech4Good Symposium, other technology-related events with the ultimate goal of getting it published.
The STS Lab is looking to fill roles for Resarch Coordinator, Data Analyst and Research Writer. Research Coordinators will create and implementing surveys, polls, interviews and other data collecting methods for a large USC student population. Data Analysts will visualise and analyse the facts and figures to turn the data into meaningful information and insights. Research Writers will then communicate the information gathered by composing the index report and turning the collected information into a story. Relevant experience is a plus, but anyone interested in joining in with this project is welcome to apply!