People Are Socialising Less In Person, But Not Because Of Social Media, Says Researcher

The best available evidence suggests face-to-face is in competition with hours spent at work and commuting. The trends of declining face-to-face communication existed well even before the pandemic.

A study uncovered a worrisome trend in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia, where there has been a steady, uniform decline in face-to-face time that began well before the rise of social media. | Representational Image

New Delhi: People are socialising less in person, but not because of social media, according to Jeffrey Hall, a researcher at University of Kansas, United States. In a recent article, Hall, a professor of Communication Studies, reviewed the best available evidence to debunk the "social media displacement hypothesis", which holds that the use of mobile and social media is the cause of decreased face-to-face (FtF) interaction.

He uncovered a worrisome trend in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia, where there has been a steady, uniform decline in face-to-face time that began well before the rise of social media. The decline continued through the stay-at-home orders and social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the new analysis showed.

The paper describing these findings was recently published in the journal Current Opinion in Psychology. 

What Is Social Displacement Hypothesis?

In a statement issued by University of Kansas, Hall said that the social displacement hypothesis is probably the most well-known, long-lasting explanation for where time spent using new technologies comes from. The social displacement argument says that new media cuts into people's face-to-face time; however, the best available evidence suggests this is not the case. 

Hall collected data from the US Department of Labour's annual American Time Use Survey and from similar governmental studies in Australia and Great Britain between 1995 and 2021. He plotted them on a single chart and observed that all three lines decline over time at a similar rate. 

Hall explained it is the case that social media rates of consumption have grown across demographic groups and across the world, and it is the case that face-to-face time has declined. However, it is not the case that social media consumption takes from face-to-face time.

Transformation Of Where People Are Putting Their Attention

Hall said that researchers are seeing a transformation of where people are putting their attention. Tik tok and YouTube are increasingly popular outlets for watching streaming content, and social media time is likely borrowing from time spent watching TV. Social media time is also borrowing from time at work or doing household chores, Hall said.

Friendship and social media are not enemies, according to Hall. Since many people use messaging programmes supported by social media platforms, the networks can be used in friendship-promoting ways. The paper claims that social people are active both online and offline.

Face-To-Face Time Has Declined Across Three Countries In A Similar Manner

A new analysis which shows that face-to-face time has declined across three countries in a similar fashion has been reported in the paper. Hall said the fact that the UK data track US data so tightly despite using slightly different methods in different years, is surprising. According to the study, this international trend of reduced time in face-to-face communication may reflect growing rates of loneliness. 

Face-To-Face Communication Declined Even Before The Pandemic

The trends of declining face-to-face communication existed well even before the pandemic, Hall's analysis showed. Moreover, the pandemic may have exacerbated some of them, according to the paper. When people had some time because they were not commuting to work or able to go out as much, they did not turn to face-to-face communication. 

Hall noted that what is discouraging about that is that even when people have time, they do not seem to use it in a way that promotes their social health. 

Hall added that there is widespread evidence of face-to-face socialisation being beneficial to well-being. He explained that people are not on the right path to being able to reclaim that face-to-face time, at least in the three nations. 

What Has Caused Face-To-Face Time To Decline?

The best available evidence suggests face-to-face is in competition with hours spent at work and commuting, according to Hall. People who work spend more of their leisure time alone. When people got that time back from commuting during the pandemic, they still spent it working virtually, and they did not spend it socialising with each other.

Hall said it seems we live in a society that privileges working and media consumption over everything else. He explained that the decline in face-to-face time is a matter of priority and a matter of availability, and people are neither prioritising face-to-face time, not are available to do so.