Surprise, surprise: According to a recent study, Internet users
are
more socially engaged than those who don't use the Internet: (BBC News)
Previous studies tended to take a dim view of those who spend a long time in
front of a computer: "We have a tendency to see using computers as slightly
negative or slightly dysfunctional. What is often missed it is what people are
using the computers to do."
People who use e-mail or chat rooms regularly not only communicate more but
the quality of that communication tends to be better too, said Dr Joinson.
He believes the communication that takes place via the web is more intimate
and trusting than it would be face to face: "People tend to disclose four
times as much information by email than they do face to face. It is a very
strong foundation for friendships and relationships."