Are Our Phones Making Us Lonelier?

Jeffrey Hall is a Professor of Communication Studies and the Director of the Relationships and Technology Lab at the University of Kansas. He studies the way technology influences relationships, including the impact of social media on feelings of belonging, connectedness and loneliness. The harms of social platforms have been well documented over the past decade – political polarization, misinformation – but is social media also to blame for the rise in loneliness? On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Jeffrey joins Leah to discuss the role of social media in the loneliness epidemic. Jeffrey argues that when used more intentionally, social media can fulfill its original promise: help us stay connected and deepen our connections with the people we care about most. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Jeffrey Hall on LinkedIn. Keep an eye out for Jeffrey’s forthcoming book The Social Biome: How Everyday Communication Connects and Shape Us.