The Impact of Social Networks on Sociability

Over the past thirty years at least, many researchers have studied the impact of the diffusion of technologies on individuals’ social relations. Given its popularity and the practices it spawns, Facebook is a particularly interesting case. This article draws on declarative data from a survey of a representative sample of 2,000 French Facebook users to gain insight into the link between the use of social networks and sociability. Although a positive correlation exists between the intensity of Facebook use and sociability, the social network is rarely seen as a means to reinforce that sociability. The article shows, in particular, that Facebook contributes more to increasing weak ties than strong ones, and that its perceived influence on sociability depends strongly on the social and generational context. Less culturally and financially privileged classes have the impression that the network has had a stronger impact on their sociability.