"There is nothing as practical as a good theory" - Kurt Lewin
Learn about my research, the Personal Social Media Ecosystem Framework (PSMEF), and more.
About
Dr. Carter recently resigned from his dual appointment as an Instructor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Scientist at Boston Children's Hospital (2024-26). After spending nearly 4 years at the Digital Wellness Lab, a non-profit aimed at partnering with Big Tech to advance constructive design changes in youth-facing products, he is currently pursuing alternative avenues to catalyze positive change in the Tech Sector.
Dr. Carter earned his Ph.D. in Communication from the University of California, Davis. His research examines the intersection of media and mental health among young adults and adolescents, particularly advocating for a shift towards studying digital media within the context of a framework developed by him and his colleagues: the Personal Social Media Ecosystem Framework (PSMEF).
The PSMEF directly speaks to calls made in The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory - Social Media and Youth Mental Health to advance more standardize definitions and measures of social media. The account views "social media" and an evolving digital ecology, centered around a set of digital places facilitating social interaction.
Without an improve basis to investigate social media effects, researchers will continually struggle to clarify how social media may both benefit and harm vulnerable user demographics as it continues to evolve. Commonly applied frameworks (e.g., features-and-affordances, use typologies) remain insufficient to deal with the task at hand.
Check out his publications on Google Scholar!
Select Publications
- Carter M.C., Powell N, Bediou B., Tsappis M., Bickham D., & Rich M. (2025) Placing problematic media use in context: a research synthesis, person-centric framework, and chart review among a clinical sample of US youth. Front. Psychiatry 16:1574502. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1574502
- Carter, M.C. (2023). Advancing a flexible and systematic basis for observing health correlates: Social media in the context of the Personal Social Media Ecosystem Framework. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(7), 659-660. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.1056
- Carter, M.C., Cingel, D.P., Vigil, S.L., & Ruiz, J.B., Ruiz (2023). A replication and extension of the Personal Social Media Ecosystem Framework. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 28(6). https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmad036
- Carter, M.C., Cingel, D.P., Ruiz, J.B., & Wartella, E. (2023). Social media use in the context of the Personal Social Media Ecosystem Framework. Journal of Communication, 73(1), 15-37. https://doi.org/10.1093/jockey/jqac038
- Cingel, D.P., Carter, M.C., & Krause, H. (2022). Social media and self-esteem. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101304
Select Awards
- Awardee, Top Paper Award, Communication and Technology Division, International Communication Association, 2023. Toronto, CAN*
- Carter, M.C., Cingel, D.P., Vigil, S., & Ruiz, R.B. (May, 2023). A replication and extension of the Personal Social Media Ecosystem Framework. [Paper Presentation] 73nd International Communication Association Conference, Toronto, Canada*
- Awardee, Top Paper Award, Communication and Technology Division, International Communication Association, 2022. Paris, FR*
- Carter, M.C., Cingel, D.P., Ruiz, J.B., & Wartella, E. (May, 2022). Social media as a digital context for social interaction: The personal social media ecosystem framework in contemporary society. [Paper presentation] 72nd International Communication Association Conference, Paris, France.*
- Awardee, Outstanding Senior Award in the Communication Major, UC Davis College of Letters & Science, 2017. Davis, CA