How is new technology affecting ... our social relationships?

Enjoy the whole series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10. 

How does technology affect…our social relationships?
   

Imagine a world where so many people spend their lives immersed in a virtual reality that laws are passed stipulating that a user must be unplugged at least one hour in every 24.

That hasn’t come to pass, though science fiction writers love imagining the scenario.

Even so, some people are addicted to Second Life, devoting hours and hours to their lives there. Others can’t get enough Facebook, chatting and connecting with people they’ve never met. And others need regular hits from their CrackBerry, no matter where they are.

How common are those examples? Has technology created cyber-hermits?
    Has it increased social isolation?
   

Not for most people. It turns out that technology is a social facilitator. Consider, for example, some of the findings from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. (These findings are true even after the effects of age, education, income and so forth are taken into account.)

People who use instant messaging have larger social networks, compared to those who do not.

People who participate in a variety of activities on the Internet have larger social networks than those who don’t.

Bloggers are more likely to visit a park—or belong to a voluntary association, youth group, or church—compared to others who use the Internet, but don’t blog.

Internet users are more likely than non-Internet users to go to a coffee shop, café, public park or plaza.

People who regularly use Email are more likely to have friends of different races and to have them over to their homes, according to a study I did in the three-county Detroit region.

However, those who use social networking media tend to rely less on neighbors for companionship, for help with caring for themselves or a family member, or to borrow things, helps with repairs, and so on.

What’s your experience? Do you find technology to be a social facilitator for you? Has it enabled you to do things you couldn’t otherwise? Or, have you experienced the downside of technology?

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