The Welfare Effects of Social Media
The authors ran a randomized experiment in which participants were paid to deactivate their Facebook accounts for four weeks before the 2018 US midterm elections. Deactivation reduced time online, increased offline socializing and TV watching, lowered factual news knowledge and political polarization, and modestly improved self-reported well-being. After the experiment, participants reduced their Facebook use, and many lowered their valuation of the platform, suggesting that habitual use exceeds its private benefits for some users.