Study: Quitting Facebook Makes People Happier, Less Informed
CNN
study
"(i) reduced online activity, including other social media, while increasing offline activities such as watching TV alone and socializing with family and friends; (ii) reduced both factual news knowledge and political polarization; (iii) increased subjective well-being; and (iv) caused a large persistent reduction in Facebook use after the experiment," said the abstract.
The study concluded by pointing out that social media can also play a positive role in people's lives with regard to news and information, entertainment, organizational activities such as charity drives, and maintaining social connection for those who are otherwise isolated, and that discourse surrounding it should take these factors into account.
The study concluded by pointing out that social media can also play a positive role in people's lives with regard to news and information, entertainment, organizational activities such as charity drives, and maintaining social connection for those who are otherwise isolated, and that discourse surrounding it should take these factors into account.
"Any discussion of social media’s downsides should not obscure the basic fact that it fulfills deep and widespread needs," said the study. "Notwithstanding, our results also make clear that the downsides are real. We offer the largest-scale experimental evidence measuring a wide set of potential impacts at both the individual and societal level. We find that four weeks without Facebook improves subjective well-being and substantially reduces post-experiment demand, suggesting that forces such as addiction and projection bias may cause people to use Facebook more than they otherwise would."