Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 11:51:31 -0400
From: Yacine KHELLADI <[email protected]>

THE FOLLOWING TEXT HAS BEEN FORWARDED FROM THE GKD LIST TO THE MISTICA LIST BY
YACINE KHELLADI

John Markoff of the New York Times describes a new study from Stanford University that shows the effects of the Internet on social interaction and media use. No doubt, those who agree with the findings will say it's a "good study" and those who don't will find it "flawed" (always a favorite term of derision).

Here's a piece of the article. The study itself is not online, but I have written the author for a pointer.

"SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 15 -- The nation's obsession with the Internet is causing many Americans to spend less time with friends and family, less time shopping in stores and more time working at home after hours, according to one of the first large-scale surveys of the societal impact of the Internet.

In short, "the more hours people use the Internet, the less time they spend with real human beings," said Norman Nie, a political scientist at Stanford University who was the principal investigator for the study.

Mr. Nie asserted that the Internet was creating a broad new wave of social isolation in the United States, raising the specter of an atomized world without human contact or emotion.

That conclusion is certain to prove controversial because some online enthusiasts contend that the Internet has fostered alternative electronic relationships that may replace or even enhance face-to-face family and social connections...

http://funredes.org/mistica/english/emec/production/c4/0143.html
Last modified: 23/02/2000