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Abstract

Social networking site (SNS) use has become ubiquitous with both positive and negative effects. While significant focus has detailed its negative effects, understanding potential behavioral countermeasures becomes increasingly relevant. Simultaneously, there has been an organic growth of games tailored to highlight social issues. These social activism games are less focused on entertainment but leverage the interactive nature to create an emotional connection. This study investigated the ability of a game focused on the dangers of SNS use to create immediate and lasting change within players. Sixty-two participants played the social activism or control game with survey assessments occurring pre-gameplay, post gameplay, and 7-days after participation. Results indicate a high potential for immediate emotional connection to the SNS issue highlighted via the game, but lasting behavior changes were less obvious. Although the possible effectiveness of social activism gaming is well supported, more research is needed to better understand beneficial design characteristics.

Keywords

Social Media Use Gaming Social Activism

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The effectiveness of social activism gaming on changing social networking site use

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