#187 Today's guest is Jeffrey Hall— a Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the Relationships & Technology Lab at the University of Kansas and a visiting scholar at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. His research centers on building friendships, navigating digital media, and forming meaningful connections and he has written about these topics for the Wall Street Journal and in his award-winning book, Relating Through Technology. In this episode, we discuss:

+ If social media is actually as harmful as we think it is

+ How friendships evolve as we get older

+ The effects of social media on friendships & relationships

+ Why young adults feel both connected & lonely

+ What you need to do to build close relationships

+ Generational differences in social media use & its effects

+ How to use social media without harming your mental health

+ The correlation between friendships and well-being

+ The two types of loneliness & why people feel lonely

+ Why people really spread hate online & how this impacts their health

+ Whether teen mental health & body image are affected by social media

+ Popular misconceptions about social media & why they're formed

+ What he wishes people were doing differently on social media

MENTIONED

+ "How many hours does it take to make a friend?"

+ Professor Hall's Research

+ Relationships and Technology Lab

+ Relating Through Technology

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