Social media is renowned as being rife with disinformation, misinformation, and all forms of so-called “fake news” – but a new study out of France suggests it could nonetheless overall keep us more informed.

During the French presidential election in 2022, researchers at the Centre for Political Research at Sciences Po had 1117 people delete their Facebook accounts.

The team surveyed the participants about their mood and well-being, political knowledge, and level of political and social polarisation during the election, and compared their results with 1129 people who did not deactivate their accounts.

Facebook logo. (Adobe Stock)

Overall, the 1117 who were without Facebook in this time reported slightly higher wellbeing, including increased feelings of joy and fulfillment.

But there was a flipside in that the same group proved less politically aware, and not just by their own estimate.

Researchers tested participants with arrays of headlines – half drawn from verified news reports, and others written that were “plausible” but false.

October 9

Macabre treatment of revolutionary hero’s corpse

Those who had remained active on Facebook proved more able to pick out political falsehoods – though interestingly, both groups were adept at spotting the real headlines relating to entertainment and sport.

The researchers said this suggested Facebook played an important part in connecting people with political news that they would not ordinarily seek out – through friends’ posts or shared articles, for example.

But they found that the polarisation and political division in either group did not wane, despite a third arm of the experiment involving messages to some members of each to encourage them to be “more informed, civil, and open-minded”.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, celebrity and sport via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
You May Also Like

Tragic Details About Olivia Rodrigo's Life

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Olivia Rodrigo experienced the kind of…

Kanye West’s ex-staffer claims the rapper left business meeting to have ‘loud’ sex with Bianca Censori, openly shared antisemitic views

One of Kanye West’s former employees said working for him was a…

Dr. Leana Wen: RFK Jr.'s Take on Water Fluoridation Isn't So Crazy

In the leadup to the election, RFK Jr. said that removing fluoride…

Australian jailed in Tokyo over 'language mix-up' fights to overturn conviction

Exclusive: An Australian who was jailed in Tokyo last month will fight…