Internet contact strengthens — not weakens — existing relationships, according to a new study.
The ever-busy people at the Pew Internet & American Life Project have today released their latest report, The Strength of Internet Ties, which finds, in summary, that:
The Internet helps maintain people’s social networks, and connects them to members of their social network when they need help. 60 million Americans have turned to the Internet for help with major life decisions.
Given the strength of the ‘the Internet is disruptive to real relationships’ meme, this is newsworthy.
Amongst the other findings in the report:
- Heavy users of email are heavy users of other media as well — email adds to the possibilities of communication, rather than replacing other channels for it.
- The only activities that increased online activity steals time from are watching television and sleeping!
Don’t take our word for it — read the whole report, and the original questionnaire on which it’s based, online.
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