Moira Burke is an American computer scientist working in the field of
human-computer interaction. She currently works as a data scientist for
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
.
Education
Burke received her bachelor's degree from the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
in 2001 and her PhD from
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
in 2011 under the supervision of
Robert E. Kraut
Robert E. Kraut (born August 30, 1946) is an American social psychology, social psychologist who studies human-computer interaction, online communities, internet use, group coordination, computers in organizations, and the role of visual element ...
.
Research
While at Carnegie Mellon, Burke published a study which found that talking to close friends on Facebook was associated with improved well-being. In 2013, Burke and Kraut published a study which found that Facebook users who contacted close friends about job opportunities were more likely to find employment than were those who contacted acquaintances. In 2014, Burke and Kraut published a study which found that interaction with other users on Facebook increases closeness, regardless of how much effort this interaction takes.
[ In 2020, Burke with two other Facebook researchers published a study examining how use of social media contributed to ]social comparison bias
Social comparison bias is the tendency to have feelings of dislike and competitiveness with someone seen as physically, socially, or mentally better than oneself. Social comparison bias or social comparison theory is the idea that individuals dete ...
. The study found that teens experienced more social comparison than adults.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Moira
Human–computer interaction researchers
Facebook employees
Living people
Carnegie Mellon University alumni
University of Oregon alumni
American computer scientists
Year of birth missing (living people)