Participants were measurably happier and less anxious.
But, disappointingly, not by a huge margin:
Perhaps this is due to the fact a significant number of users switched to less harmful online platforms and didn’t stop using their phones.
Or perhaps there is actually something more sinister. My real concern with this study is the involvement of Meta.
We actually have evidence that Meta halted internal research about social media:
Would you study tobacco and have tobacco companies involved?
Would you study obesity and have Coca-Cola involved?
I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but could Meta actually bully/bribe Stanford in order to change the figures?
This is social media! Do you mean corporate social media or social media focused on using real names?
This is forums not social media. Anonymous conversations on topics that I’m interested in. I’m not following anyone and I don’t see anyone’s history.
And most importantly, there is not an algorithmic feed. With a singular purpose to keep you hooked as long as possible.
Well… mods and bots can push an agenda, but it’s usually not a big issue in smaller forums.
Forums are a type of social media.
Forums are a social media subcategory.