Research by the Oxford Internet Institute on the impact of the worldwide diffusion of the ‘progenitor’ of social networks
Has the advent of Facebook hurt us? The answer comes from a maxi independent scientific study by the Oxford Internet Institute, which investigated the impact of the worldwide spread of the ‘progenitor’ of social networks.
And no, it cannot be said that it was so, without running the risk of being proven wrong. In fact, this is in summary the conclusion of the study that investigated without however finding evidence that correlated its rise on a global level to widespread psychological damage. Led by professors Andrew Przybylski and Matti Vuorre, the research used data on the well-being of nearly one million people in 72 countries over a 12-year period, and data on the actual individual usage of millions of Facebook users worldwide. .
In the work published by the Royal Society, the authors reiterate not only that they have not found evidence that the diffusion of Facebook has a negative link with well-being, indeed “in fact, the analysis indicates that Facebook is probably related to well-being in a positive way” Przybylski explains.
“Although reports of negative psychological outcomes associated with social media are common in academic and popular writings, the evidence of harms is, on balance, more speculative than conclusive,” the paper reads. Przybylski assures: “We have carefully examined the best available data”. The Oxford team therefore debunks what appears to be a false myth. But at the same time it points out the meaning of what emerged from the study. “It doesn’t mean – Przybylski points out – that this is proof that Facebook is positive for users’ well-being”. Rather the gist is that “the best global data do not support the notion that the expansion of social media has a negative global association with well-being within various nations and demographic groups.”
“Much of the research on social media use and well-being has been hampered by an exclusive focus on data from the Global North,” notes co-author Vuorre. “In our new study, we cover the broadest possible geography for the first time, analyzing Facebook usage data overlaid with robust wellbeing data, and offering for the first time a truly global perspective of impact.” Facebook was involved in the research, but only to provide data, and did not commission or fund the study, the team said.
The Oxford research project started before the Covid pandemic. The researchers combined data from the Gallup World Poll Survey on well-being, covering nearly one million people from 2008 to 2019, with Facebook data on global engagement levels. Today, the social network reports nearly three billion users worldwide, but this research examines the early days of the platform’s international penetration. To better understand the plausible range of associations with wellbeing at the national level, we linked data tracking global Facebook adoption with three indicators of wellbeing: life satisfaction, negative and positive psychological experiences. .
“We examined active Facebook users per capita in 72 countries, males and females in two age groups (13-34 years and over 35),” illustrate Przybylski and Vuorre. Conclusion: no evidence of negative associations was found, but in many cases there were positive correlations between Facebook and well-being indicators. The association was slightly more positive for males, but these trends were not significant. Additionally, the link was generally more positive for young people across countries. These effects were small, but significant. “Our findings – concludes Vuorre – should help steer the debate on social media towards more empirical research foundations”.
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