Does the alliance between Facebook and well-being raise relevant questions? It seems not, at least according to a study carried out by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) in the United Kingdom. This study looked at the relationship between the social network and well-being, without Facebook having played a role in its financing or commissioning. Spanning a 12-year period and bringing together data from nearly a million individuals from 72 countries, the study claims to have found "no evidence" supporting a consistent link between Facebook use and a decline well-being. Paradoxically, among certain groups, notably young people, the study even reports a positive effect, described as "weak but significant" by the researchers.
However, it is important to emphasize that the researchers specify that while Facebook remains a major player in social networks, its predominance is not universal and it is not the preferred choice of adolescents in the United States, for example. Therefore, the conclusions of this study cannot be generalized to all online platforms. Matt Vuore, one of the study's directors, puts forward the idea that these results should encourage discussions more grounded in empirical research, which could guide future debates around social networks.
These results contradict many previous academic studies, including a study published about a year ago by the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which claimed that the use of social networks, particularly Facebook, had an impact negative on mental health. The Meta group, owner of Facebook, is currently facing several lawsuits alleging harmful effects on the mental health of young people, just like other platforms such as YouTube or TikTok.
 Anthony Bourdain
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11/08/2023 | 
