This is important as we know that a person’s health and happiness relies heavily on the strength of their relationships. After all, that’s what Facebook has always been about. We want Facebook to be a place for meaningful interactions with your friends and family - enhancing your relationships offline, not detracting from them. Sociologist Keith Hampton’s study of public spaces suggests that people spend more time in public now - and that cell phones in public are more often used by people passing time on their own, rather than ignoring friends in person. Sociologist Claude Fischer argues that claims that technology drives us apart are largely supported by anecdotes and ignore the benefits. Both offer compelling research.īut it’s not the whole story. Psychologist Sherry Turkle asserts that mobile phones redefine modern relationships, making us “alone together.” In her generational analyses of teens, psychologist Jean Twenge notes an increase in teen depression corresponding with technology use.

One of the ways we combat our inner struggles is with research - reviewing what others have found, conducting our own, and asking questions when we need to learn more.Ī lot of smart people are looking at different aspects of this important issue. We also worry about spending too much time on our phones when we should be paying attention to our families. As parents, each of us worries about our kids’ screen time and what “connection” will mean in 15 years. Moira is a social psychologist who has studied the impact of the internet on people’s lives for more than a decade, and I lead the research team for the Facebook app. These are critical questions for Silicon Valley - and for both of us. Do people connect in meaningful ways online? Or are they simply consuming trivial updates and polarizing memes at the expense of time with loved ones? With people spending more time on social media, many rightly wonder whether that time is good for us. By David Ginsberg, Director of Research, and Moira Burke, Research Scientist at Facebook

2017 news in review