What's the Latest Development? Preliminary findings from
research projects on the effect of social networks on kids is
generating a lot of buzz. Some early evidence suggests that
Facebook use may correlate with narcissistic behavior, alcohol
dependence, and other psychiatric disorders. But researcher
Larry Rosen, author of several books on the psychology of
technology, has also found evidence that it may be associated
with increases in virtual empathy–the ability to consider
someone else's emotional state from a distance. What's the Big
Idea? Rosen cautions that his work thus far has only shown a
connection between certain kinds of behavior and Facebook use,
not causation. Whether Facebook encourages narcissistic
tendencies in its users, for example, or happens to attract
narcissistic users in the first place, is not clear yet. He also
says that while kids may be more tech-savvy than their parents,
they lack their experience and self-control and are under
greater social pressure to engage with the next big th