Facebook does not decrease social interaction
- Researchers found social media use does not decrease face-to-face interactions
- The University of Missouri team found Facebook may improve social well-being
- Experts have expressed concern that social media use reduces the quality of in-person social interactions
Jaleesa Baulkman For Dailymail.com
49
View
comments
Facebook does not decrease the amount of time people spend with each other, a new study claims.
Researchers found that social media use was not associated with changes in direct social contact, and may actually improve social well-being.
The adoption of new technologies from smartphones to social media, has led to concerns about their potential for reducing happiness and social interactions.
The current study, conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri, is the latest to suggest social media does not negatively impact face-to-face interactions.
Social media use does not decrease face-to-face social interactions, according to a new study
‘People tend to assume the worse about the emergence of technology,’ said researcher Mike Kearney, assistant professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. ‘The assumption that social media use has a universal and negative effect on face-to-face social interactions is tenuous at best.’
Investigators, led by Kearney, conducted a long-term and short-term experiment for their study.
The first experiment, which followed the social media use of 2,774 individuals from 2009 to 2011, found that increased use of social media was not associated with changes in direct social contact.
The second study, which surveyed 116 adults and college students through text-messaging over the course of five days, found that social media use earlier in the day did not have any impact on future social interactions.
-
Dangers of a vegan diet: Why a plant-based diet can crush…
War on heart deaths: Millions to be offered tests for…
There’s been controversy about whether people are using social media to replace face-to-face interactions.
A 2017 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that social media use was associated with feelings of social isolation.
Meanwhile, a 2016 study published in New Media Society found that although people use social media to ‘people-watch’, they still seem to enjoy and engage in face-to-face interactions.
The current study, published in Information, Communication and Society, suggests time may be an important element to consider when it comes to studying the effects of social media.
For example, Kearney said that while time spent using social media sites like Facebook doesn’t take away from other social interactions, it is likely that using any type of media borrows time that could be used for face-to-face interactions.
‘People are spending increased amounts of time using the internet and other media that may replace the time they could use for speaking face to face, but that doesn’t mean that they are worse for it,’ Kearney said.
‘People must ultimately be responsible for maintaining their relationships, whether that’s through social media or other means.’
Researchers in the second, shorter and smaller study found that passively looking at social media, where users scroll through conversations without actively taking part, did lead to lower levels of happiness if that person had been alone earlier in the day.
‘People who use social media alone likely aren’t getting their face-to-face social needs met,’ Kearney said. ‘So if they’re not having their social needs met in their life outside of social media, it makes sense that looking at social media might make them feel even lonelier.’
Share or comment on this article
- Egyptian singer is sentenced to two years in prison for…
- Severed head is found in a bag near a Louisiana wildlife…
- ‘He was grunting and masturbating in the patrol car’:…
- Canada lent a South African family $41million to buy a…
- ‘We’ll fight with her’: Heartwarming moment 600 students…
- Cab driver is burned alive in his car as part of turf war…
- Suspect in bombing that killed Queens landlord last…
- Hungry elephant sends students diving under tables after…
- ‘It changes a life forever’: Millionaire breaks down in…
- Indiana police officer who was shot and killed after…
- Customer who made ‘lewd’ comments at a stripper and hit…
- Singer becomes the first transgender woman in the US to…
- Oklahoma man, 34, ‘faked his own kidnapping to collect…
- Bodycam footage shows cops carrying a wheelchair-bound…
- REVEALED: Declassified papers show how Secret Service…
- Subway passengers attack each other in a vicious fight on…
- ‘You are done driving’: Criminal justice student…
- Eight soldiers die and 80 people are wounded in double…
Comments 49
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Close
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.
Close
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.