The use of new technologies like Internet or mobile phones does not increase the degree of social isolation of people as was believed for years, if not that, in contrast, reduces and increases the diversity of contacts, according to a study Pew Research Center.
The U.S. organization released the results of a survey which shows that Americans who use new technologies "have larger social networks and more varied" than the rest.
This is the first time driving a Pew national survey to assess the impact of mobile phone use and internet when interacting with family and friends.
"All the data lead to the same conclusion: the social worlds of people are enriched by the new communication technologies. It's a mistake to believe that the use of internet and mobile phones add to people in a spiral of isolation" said the head of the study, Keith Hampton, in a statement.
This professor at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania explained that the average size of discussion networks of Americans (the people who commented important issues) is 12% higher among mobile users between the average , 9% higher among those who share photos online and another 9% among those who use chat rooms.
Moreover, the diversity of the basic network of people (his closest confidants) is 25% higher among mobile phone users and 15% among Internet users.
The results of the survey, conducted among more than two thousand Americans by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and has a margin of error of 2.5% even show that it is not true that Americans live increasingly isolated, such and as has been traditionally defended.
"The degree of isolation of the Americans virtually unchanged since 1985," the study center, which he cites the fact that only 6% of the adult population claims not to have anyone to discuss major issues .
Hampton said about "there is a tendency to blame new technology first when social changes occur, while the study" shows the opposite. "
"It turns out that those who use the Internet and mobile phones have definite social advantages. People use technology to stay connected and share information in ways that the stay socially active and connected with other communities," he argued.
As to the effect that new technologies have on local communities, the study says that "mobile users who frequently connect to the Internet from work and bloggers are most likely to join a voluntary association."
"However, we found that the use of virtual social networks partly replaced with the neighborhood involvement," adds the study center, which, by contrast, ensures that users of services like Facebook often meet people with more varied, and trajectories diverse environments.
Neither seems true that the internet connection to reduce the influx of Internet users in public places since, "the network access has become commonplace in areas such as parks, cafes and restaurants."
Thus, Americans surveyed who were in a library in the last month, 38% are connected to the Internet when they were there and 18% did the same when I was in a café.
Despite the popularization of new technologies, the most common connection of Americans with family and close friends is still in person, so that in a normal year they watched an average of 210 days, while they spoke by phone with 195 days and 125 days landline.
In addition, they exchanged text messages with them in 125 days a year, I sent emails 72 days, 39 days and we chatted sent letters or postcards only 8 days.
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