In a study published recently in PNAS, researchers concluded that students affected by natural disasters show changes in their Facebook behavior that would suggest they’re strengthening their social relationships with other in-group members. They believe that students affected by disaster are more likely to use Facebook to connect to others within their social circle as opposed to students unaffected by disaster, who use Facebook to expand their social circle.
In September of 2008, Hurricane Ike cut a path through the center of the US, moving through Louisiana and Texas up through the Midwestern states and finally dissipating over Michigan. The areas affected by this storm were not accustomed to hurricanes, but Ike wasn’t overly disruptive. Institutions in these areas were able to resume basic services within weeks of the Hurricane’s making landfall, and few communities were relocated or displaced by the storm.
But did the storm affect people in less practical ways? This study examined the post-Ike Facebook habits of 1.5 million college students enrolled in 130 US universities. In their study design, the researchers conceptualized the hurricane as equivalent to a randomly occurring event and therefore treated it as though it were a randomized intervention. Consequently, they categorize their study as a natural experiment.
Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments
No comments:
Post a Comment