Abstract

Does access to online social networking platforms affect young workers’ careers? Exploiting the staggered introduction of Facebook across U.S. colleges in a generalized difference-in-differences framework, this paper estimates the causal impact of Facebook access at labor market entry on the career trajectories of U.S. business and economics students. Using detailed résumé data from over one million public LinkedIn profiles, I find that students with early access to Facebook are more likely to receive early-career promotions, attain higher-paying jobs, and reach senior leadership roles in their mid-30s to early 40s. I provide direct evidence that these long-run career effects can be explained by (i) a smoother college-to-work transition and (ii) increased job help among college peers in climbing the career ladder. The results highlight how work-related use of online social networks can reduce information frictions and generate long-run career benefits.