Signal CAST framework proposes multi-level, person-specific measurement of social media use

Summary

Researchers introduce the CAST framework to connect measurement choices with person-specific models of exposure, behavior, physiology, and experience in social media use, arguing that screen-time totals alone omit content and context. The framework's dimensions specify where observations occur, how they are obtained, what they measure, and at what temporal resolution. The authors propose four synchronized measurement modules linking mobile and wearable data with self-reports and behavioral responses to interventions, such as whether a user proceeds after an app-opening pause. A synthetic demonstration with 120 simulated participants over 28 days illustrates how daily aggregation can obscure opposing effects of different activities under specified generating assumptions. The framework is intended to guide selection of measures and outcomes for evaluating social media interfaces and interventions.