September 6, 2022

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has reiterated that his intention for Facebook and the upcoming Metaverse is not to increase internet usage, but rather to make the internet experience more engaging and interactive for all, as it is best used for communication.

Zuckerberg explained this in a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, in which he also explained that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be beneficial to users’ well-being, but only if they relate with each other.

“I don’t necessarily want the people to spend more time with computers. I just want the time that people spend with screens to be better,” Zuckerberg said.

This is not just Zuckerberg’s view of social media consumption; a recent study also found that Instagram, a social media app under Zuckerberg’s meta, is most likely to make young people feel depressed and lonely.

But experts argue that this is only true if people use platforms to scroll rather than socialize, because routine use of social media, such as responding to content that others share daily, is actually linked to positive social well-being and overall mental health. This was revealed in a 2019 study conducted by Harvard University researchers.

When people become overly addicted to social media or form an unhealthy emotional connection, the opposite happens.

The sources for this piece include an article in CNBC.