Facebook Admitted That Facebook Was Bad For People, Really

In a rather startling development, social media giant Facebook recently admitted that it might be causing major harm to its users. Specifically, the post noted how people might suffer from psychological issues after using the social network. Naturally, the company also added some caveats by saying that these issues can be avoided if only people used Facebook more, not less.

Facebook made the admission via a blog post on Friday, citing outside research indicating how social media can actually leave people feeling worse than simply avoiding it altogether. However, the company put its own spin on the findings, stating that the negative psychological effects are only for those who browse the social network passively.

“On the other hand, actively interacting with people — especially sharing messages, posts and comments with close friends and reminiscing about past interactions — is linked to improvements in well-being. This ability to connect with relatives, classmates, and colleagues is what drew many of us to Facebook in the first place, and it’s no surprise that staying in touch with these friends and loved ones brings us joy and strengthens our sense of community,” the post reads.

As Recode notes, it’s not at all surprising that Facebook’s solution to the mental woes caused by social media use is more social media use. The company is basically trying to have its cake and eat it too by presenting itself as a force for good while also aiming to be a massive money-printing machine.

The results of the study that Facebook cited is echoed by the sentiments of even former executives at the company, with the most recent to speak out being Chamath Palihapitiya. Palihapitiya essentially helped the social network to become the tech giant that it is today and he expressed guilt at how social media has become a dividing force in society instead of bringing people together.