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Internet And Technology Don’t Lead To Social Isolation

Posted on: Thursday, 5 November 2009, 13:20 CST

A new study shows that contrary to popular belief, technology is not leading to social isolation, and Americans who use the Internet and mobile phones have larger and more diverse social networks, AFP reported.

Keith Hampton, lead author of the report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project released Wednesday, said that all the evidence points in one direction: people's social worlds are enhanced by new communication technologies.

The authors conducted telephone interviews with 2,512 adults between July 9, 2008 and August 10, 2008. The study has a sampling error of 2.1 percent.

Hampton, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania, said it is a mistake to believe that Internet use and mobile phones plunge people into a spiral of isolation.

The researchers said that key findings of the study challenge previous research and commonplace fears about the harmful social impact of new technology.

"There is a tendency by critics to blame technology first when social change occurs. This is the first research that actually explores the connection between technology use and social isolation and we find the opposite," Hampton said.

He explained that those who use the Internet and mobile phones have notable social advantages.

"People use the technology to stay in touch and share information in ways that keep them socially active and connected to their communities," he added.

Some six percent of Americans can be described as socially isolated -- lacking anyone to discuss important matters with or who they consider to be "especially significant" in their life, according to the study.

However, those figure have hardly changed since 1985.

The researchers examined people's discussion networks -- those with whom they discuss important matters -- and core networks -- their closest and most significant confidants, and found that on average, the size of people's discussion networks is 12 percent larger among mobile phone users, nine percent larger for those who share photos online, and nine percent bigger for those who use instant messaging.

Results showed that the diversity of people's core networks tend to be 25 percent larger for mobile phone users, 15 percent larger for basic Internet users, and even larger for frequent Internet users, those who use instant messaging, and those who share digital photos online.

However, the data also showed that Americans' discussion networks have shrunk by about one-third since 1985 and have become less diverse because they contain fewer non-family members.

On average, in a typical year, people have in-person contact with their core network ties on about 210 days, it said.

Mobile-phone contact happened 195 days of the year, while landline phone contact happened on 125 days and text-messaging contact on the mobile phone 125 days.

Rounding out those surveyed, the study revealed email contact was every 72 days, while instant messaging contact happened every 55 days. Contact via social networking websites was every 39 days and contact via letters or cards happened every eight days.

Users of social networking Web sites are also 40 percent more likely to visit a bar, but 36 percent less likely to visit a religious institution than those who shun Facebook, MySpace and other such sites.

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On the Net:

• Pew Internet and American Life Project Study

Source: RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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