In the information age, it’s common to hear people say that our high tech society can be isolating, and it discourages the kind of close-knit family and social relationships that are healthy to individuals. But a new Pew Survey suggests that about 25% of us think that technology is bringing families together.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project researched the impact of technology on family relationships and closeness. The research demonstrated that rather than keeping us isolated, modern technology has become a force for increased social interaction and in some cases actually helps strengthen family ties.
The research focused on the use of cell phones and the Internet, and found that both technologies are often used to keep parents, children and siblings in close contact, and actually encourages social interaction in many households. Surprisingly, the Pew study also revealed that participants who identified themselves as “intense” users of the Internet where no less social than users who rarely go online.
In fact, the research suggests that many highly social individuals use cell phones and the Internet as a way to enhance an already healthy social life — not as a replacement for one, as had been suggested by technology critics in the past. Fully 25% of the respondents in the survey believed their families were closer than ever because all of technology. Only 11% of respondents perceived their families to be less close because of technology.
The Pew study polled 2252 individuals, and found that 66% of the households polled had access to a broadband or other high speed Internet connection. Researchers were surprised that many of the respondents indicated that they routinely spent time on the Internet engaging with family members. In essence, many families appear to be treating the Internet as just another collaborative pursuit to bring members closer.
Half of the households surveyed had at least three cell phones as well. Nearly half of the adult respondents claimed to call their children on cell phones several times a day. Connecting with family members online was also found to be more common than previously thought. Family members were found to visit each other’s Facebook or MySpace pages frequently and routinely share links, funny stories or images online.
Only a few short years ago, anyone who self-identified as an “intense” Internet user would have been told to “get a life;” the assumption being that no one who spend that kind of time online could possibly have strong social connections. The Pew research demonstrates that in many cases, the opposite is in fact true; those who use the Internet and cell phones the most are often the most social.
