Research focused on participants' mental health. Some volunteers and others receiving cash compensation were asked to leave the social network for a month so that the results could be observed and analyzed.
The results of this study were as follows:
Less time spent on the Internet, as Facebook was not replaced with a social network or other app;
Spend more time with family and close friends.
There was not much awareness of the political scene, and therefore they became more tolerant.
Volunteers stressed that they "feel better"; reduced feelings of depression and anxiety.
In addition, many said they plan to use less - or not to return - Facebook after this experience.
The view of the owners of the study:
"For the researcher, it was the lack of consumption of news and policy-related content that made users less polarized-and therefore more forgiving," said study author Matthew Jennzkov, a professor of economics at Stanford University. . [...] For many, being on Facebook means reading more, consuming more, discussing more, and this is not an error of the social network algorithm,
The demands of "volunteers"
When they received a proposal to abandon the social network, many did not accept it for free. "Several people asked for up to $ 100. Others asked for much higher values," the professor said. "There were also responses like, 'You can not afford to get me out of Facebook.'
Finally, Gentzkov said he could not say whether Facebook was really harmful to society - but there is no doubt that some users are too caught up in the social network.
