Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/305617 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 11375
Publisher: 
CESifo GmbH, Munich
Abstract: 
We examine the long-run effect of homophily in online social networks on interpersonal interactions in local communities. We measure online homophily across counties in the US using Facebook data. For identification, we exploit a conflict between Facebook and Google over data sharing of user information during the early expansion phase of Facebook. We find evidence that homophilic connections led to increased social media usage but reduced offline socialization. This shift was accompanied by deterioration of local social cohesion, as individuals became less connected across income strata and less likely to share the same political opinions with others in their counties.
Subjects: 
social media
networks
homophily
social capital
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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