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Internet Paradox: A Social Technology That Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being?

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The Internet could change the lives of average citizens as much as did the telephone in the early part of the 20th century and television in the 1950s and 1960s. Researchers and social critics are debating whether the Internet is improving or harming participation in community life and social relationships. This research examined the social and psychological impact of the Internet on 169 people in 73 households during their first 1 to 2 years on-line. We used longitudinal data to examine the effects of the Internet on social involvement and psychological well-being. In this sample, the Internet was used extensively for communication. Nonetheless, greater use of the Internet was associated with declines in participants' communication with family members in the household, declines in the size of their social circle, and increases in their depression and loneliness. These findings have implications for research, for public policy and for the design of technology.
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... The popularity of SM has risen dramatically in the past decades. In only one decade, the number of people using SM platforms globally has increased from 970 million in 2010 to more than 4.48 billion in July 2021 (Kemp, 2021). The number and features of the platforms have also increased over time. ...
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The growth in popularity of social media platforms all over the world has led to an unprecedented increase in people’s ability to communicate with one another. This has given rise to a number of concerns about the potential social impact of these platforms. The European Union Loneliness Survey contains some useful information on social media consumption in the EU. The first part of this chapter relies on this unique source of information to explore patterns of social media use across EU member states and by age group. It sheds light on the time spent on social media tools as well as on addiction patterns. The second part of the chapter examines the relationship between social media usage and loneliness.
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