Does Posting Facebook Status Updates Increase or Decrease Loneliness? An Online Social Networking Experiment

Abstract

Online social networking is a pervasive but empirically understudied phenomenon. Strong public opinions on its consequences exist but are backed up by little empirical evidence and almost no causally-conclusive, experimental research. The current study tested the psychological effects of posting status updates on Facebook using an experimental design. For one week, participants in the experimental condition were asked to post more than they usually do, whereas participants in the control condition received no instructions. Participants added a lab "Research Profile" as a Facebook friend allowing for the objective documentation of protocol compliance, participants' status updates, and friends' responses. Results revealed (1) that the experimentally-induced increase in status updating activity reduced loneliness, (2) that the decrease in loneliness was due to participants feeling more connected to their friends on a daily basis and (3) that the effect of posting on loneliness was independent of direct social feedback (i.e. responses) by friends.

Keywords: Facebook; Internet Methodologies; Loneliness; Social Integration; Well-being.

Figure 1

Mean change in loneliness in the control and experimental condition. The difference in loneliness at time 1 between control (n = 37) and experimental condition (n = 49) was not significant (M_diff= 0.21, p = .67)

Figure 2

Daily social connectedness as a mediator of the relationship between experimentally induced increases in micro-blogging activity and changes in loneliness. a= Effect of Condition on Daily Social Connectedness, b = Effect of Daily Social Connectedness on Residualized Change in Loneliness controlled for Condition. c =Effect of Condition on Residualized Change in Loneliness, c’= Direct effect of Condition on Residualized Change in Loneliness controlled for Daily Social Connectedness.