The economic effects of Facebook
Mosquera first author. A 2017 field experiment over 1,765 people first elicited how much they valued one week of Facebook, then randomly assigned them to a verified restriction or to normal use. One week of Facebook was worth 67 dollars. Those restricted consumed less news, were less likely to recognise politically skewed stories, reported being less depressed and took up healthier activities, with effects strongest for men. After the restriction, Facebook's value rose.
Mosquera first author. A 2017 field experiment over 1,765 people first elicited how much they valued one week of Facebook, then randomly assigned them to a verified restriction or to normal use. One week of Facebook was worth 67 dollars. Those restricted consumed less news, were less likely to recognise politically skewed stories, reported being less depressed and took up healthier activities, with effects strongest for men. After the restriction, Facebook's value rose.
Written from the abstract read 2026-10-18.
What our sources record
Recorded when this source was checked, figures included, with page references and quotation marks removed.
Mosquera, R., Odunowo, M., McNamara, T., Guo, X., & Petrie, R. (2020). The economic effects of Facebook. Experimental Economics, 23(2), 575-602. doi:10.1007/s10683-019-09625-y.