Internet Not the Social Hinder it Was

imjustatomato writes "A 1998 study showed that the Internet causes declines in social relationships and isolation, similarly to how television causes social disengagement and bad moods. This is the 'Internet Paradox' because while the internet is heavily used for communication, it makes people lonelier. However, a more recent study shows that now the internet has a positive effect on social and psychological well-being. This is even more so for those who have more social support and are extroverted in nature. Interestingly, frequent Internet use is associated with a decline in local knowledge and interest in living in the local area."

Comments

Well son. . . .

[Don_dumb]

. . . "we are going to go to where the internet is really good."

Re:Well son. . . .

[RuBLed]

..."No daddy, basement is good and the raid would start at 18:00 GMT and I have to give this item to xXxMrPiratexXx cause it's his birthday today."

Well of course...

[Anonymous Coward]

...since 1998 the internet has helped make available viagra for all!

5 years out of date! tell us other old things!

[fantomas]

For goodness sake, this is pushing it a bit far, reporting on 5 year old papers. In other latest news from 2002 - New Orleans happy with flood defences, Lebanese economy doing well with current peaceful regional politics, British Airways relaxes security on air travel a year after 9/11 .... sigh ! :-)

I live in an apartment complex.

[gettingbraver]

And I would rather be online than talk to some of my loser neighbors. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Re:I live in an apartment complex.

[gettingbraver]

This is your neighbor:

Mark this day down in history!! You're not on a porn site?

Re:Is this an article?

[bky1701]

Slow news day?

If the news was slow, it'd be more easy to catch.

Sorry, slow news calls for bad jokes.

Re:Define social and psychological well-being

[indifferent children]

they are more sincerely curious about how one goes about making friends on the Internet

You pop into a chat room and announce, "I'm a cute, lonely 13 year old girl." The friends practically make themselves.

Re:Staring

[BoomerSooner]

See social sites aren't all bad!

Facebook
MySpace
OKCupid (free dating site)

Hell think of all the underaged girls & boys you can meet and stalk! Hell it might even get you famous on TV!! Yea, Dateline!! (okay the last part was a joke)

Re:interest in leaving

[JonathanR]

Yeah, his CRT monitor, and the other tube is, er... his vas deferens.

Re:Staring

[dragonsomnolent]

To be sure, if you lived in Israel/Lebanon, it might even behoove you to not go outside to find out what's going on.

Re:Diversity

[kfg]

Just because something sucks for you, doesn't mean everyone in the town is miserable...

I was just riffing on Twain, Fields and Smirnoff.

As Smirnoff says he doesn't mean any harm by knocking on Cleveland, it's just that every country has a city that it makes jokes about an in America it's Cleveland. In Russia they have a city they make jokes about too; it's . . .Cleveland.

I come from a city that has been hailed in the national news as the "Cockroach Capital of the World" and has been a standing joke city for about a century. I don't get particularly bent over it, even though, well, most of it is true.

KFG

Re:Staring

[NRO826]

Um, thats not what my sims told me when i spent three straight days playing sims 2

Re:Staring

[g33uu]

Hell think of all the underaged girls & boys you can meet and stalk! Hell it might even get you famous on TV!! Yea, Dateline!! (okay the last part was a joke)

I agree, stalking is no fun if you get caught. Boo, Dateline! Yea, stalking!!