Is Facebook bad for us?

No, it isn’t.

Many people think that social media are turning us into a nation of slugabed narcissists. But studies show something different. People are on the whole less isolated than they used to be; heavy internet users have the typical number of face-to-face connections, plus, in addition, robust networks of online connections many times larger. They are also socially active – more engaged than most politically and in social-benefit associations. They are less limited by views of in-groups, more willing to learn from unfamiliar perspectives, better at bridging across groups. They are better at managing complex and cross-cutting commitments, such as the balance of work, family, and friends. They are more open to sharing and exchange with others. Some studies also find that they are more trusting than average, and more open rather than narcissistic.*

Fears of fragmentation of the web into homogeneous echo chambers appear so far inaccurate: though there is high fragmentation on hot-button political issues, general news consumption is far less polarized online than offline, and Internet users are more likely to be influenced by new information outside their normal orbits.

People are not only communicating more, but they are communicating more widely and and in more diverse ways about complex topics like family, happiness, health, and career, as well as opinion-based or cultural issues like music and politics.

Yes, there are a lot of cats on social media; but cats create connections among people, and moreover there is much more than that. A friend of mine, a full-time competitive athlete, developed complex intestinal symptoms. She talked about it with various family members, team members, and doctors, but didn’t get much help. Instead, by far the best support came from web forums of people with similar experiences. From people she did not even know, she gained not only knowledge but also emotional comfort, understanding, and hope that she was unable to get from her close connections.

The internet is opening channels of real and rich exchange unprecedented in human history. Perhaps our greatest hope for the future is the fact that teenagers in Tehran and Beijing are downloading and sharing Western music and comedy shows. The pen-pals of the past have been multiplied a millionfold in friends on Facebook. These connections may in time build a foundation for understanding and peace. 

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* The evidence for claims throughout this post is cited in  Trust in a Complex World, chapter 4, section "Evidence".