Are you constantly pulling out your phone to check that notification from Instagram or Facebook? If so, you’re not alone—nearly seven in ten American adults are on social media, according to a recent Pew survey.
This hour: social media has made our world smaller, but do virtual networks make us feel more connected? A recent study found that those who spend more time on social media actually tend to feel more socially isolated. We ask researchers and a psychiatrist why.
And the UK is treating loneliness as a major public health issue in that country. Is social media part of the problem or part of the solution?
Also , Facebook and Twitter have been making headlines for how they’ve been used to manipulate Americans on a variety of issues. Has news of automated bots spreading ‘fake news’ impacted the way you use social media?
GUESTS:
- Dr. Claudia Califano - Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center. She also has a full-time child and adolescent psychiatry practice in Guilford, CT
- Dr. Brian Primack - Director of the Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health at University of Pittsburgh
- Dr. Rebecca Nowland - Psychology researcher who studies loneliness and social and mental health at the Center for Mental Health and Safety, University of Manchester in the UK
- Dr. Karen North - Professor of Digital Social Media at University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
