Stanford University political scientist Norman H. Nie is in the middle of working on a study examining the effects that the Internet has had on everyday life and is so far disputing the idea that the Internet enhances people's social interactions. He contends that the Internet isolates people from one another.
here is the link to the article on the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/21/technology/21LONE.html

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From the New York Times
The study concludes that Internet use at home has a strong negative impact on time spent with friends and family, while Internet use at work decreases the time spent with colleagues.... He will soon have survey data that examines a range of social and psychological variables that may show whether Internet users are happy, socially adjusted or depressed.

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Of course if you spend time on the Internet you'll have less time to spend with other people. While I somewhat agree that Internet usage spreads people's attention and productivity even thinner than it already is, I'd be willing to risk saying that Solitaire, probably the most played game around the world, has accounted for as much cumulative lost productivity as internet usage.
Although many of us actively participate in online messageboards and instant messaging, many more people who are new to the internet may only browse web pages and never interact with anybody online. And for those who do have online friends, "the question is not the number of friends you have," Nie says, "it's the time you spend with them." It's true that the Internet can monopolize time spent with people in our everyday lives, but it can also serve to enhance and maintain those interactions, especially by bridging long distance relationships through email, instant messaging, or by reuniting individuals. As evidenced by the multitude of Ars meets that have taken place around the world, the Internet has helped many people forge new friendships, omitting the freaky antics that have resulted from AOL chat room usage. The Internet is at best a medium used to supplement to our daily interactions or to benefit people who are normally uncomfortable or outcasts in their real life relationships who seek like-minded people elsewhere. I'd argue that Internet usage only truly becomes harmful in instances where people neglect their responsibilities as friends or family members as a result of it.
Nayt

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Through out your life you will wonder who THEY are. Then you find out who THEY really are. From then on you live you life in fear of THEM and you wish you never knew who THEY were.

This forum is a perfect example. What do we find here? People engaging in debates, greeting their friends, making new friends, and even trying to get dates. Sounds pretty social to me! Try doing all that in a bar that you walk into for the first time...I somehow doubt the results will be as successful.

The fact of the matter is that its almost impossible to use the Internet for any appreciable length of time without engaging in some form of social interaction--even if it's as simple as sending an email. By contrast, a great number of people can make it through an entire day at the office without engaging their coworkers socially, except insofar as what is necessary to get their work done.

So much time and money spent on useless studies. I think Mark Twain said it best:

"Statistics are like ladies of the evening -- once you get them down, you can do anything with them."

If one is not the sort who does not perfer spending his or her time talking w/ people, he or she will be doing something else, hence the "bookworm" sorts of people that have been around for decades. Those inclined to spend lots of time online may have been already likely to do so before discovering the Web. I've never been gregarious, and it was certianly that way loooong before I got my first home connection in 1998.

Plus, "real" and "internet" social groups and people are a lot allike. Ex.: I'm socially inadpet in celluiod *and* on the internet: I say stupid things all the time and I e-mail, post, and IM stupid things all the time also. The study proves nothing.

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If one is not the sort who does not perfer spending his or her time talking w/ people, he or she will be doing something else, hence the "bookworm" sorts of people that have been around for decades.

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That is along the lines of introverts and extroverts. I agree. Not everyone is a social person. Which is another flaw in the study.
Nayt

"Eight out of 10 Londoners generally enjoy living here, but one in five would leave London if they could."

The full article, for reference, can be found here.

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I am Dyslexic of Borg.
Prepare to have your ass laminated.

... but I still figure that most Chat Rooms consist (almost entirely) of humans.

I have a feeling that some define Social as:

Acting in a manner which strongly resembles the behavior seen in Commercials and Network Television Programming.

Other than that, the Internet has only experienced high activity in a few short years, as opposed to Social activity in cultures which have evolved over centuries.

Social activity has been used to ostricize individuals or groups for ages: based on race, religion, ancestry, wealth, change in beliefs (like saying that the Earth revolves around the sun), etc.

If anything, Geeks and other Internet critters tend to discriminate against: ignorance, stupidity, herd mentality, and sadism. (Note: Yes, there are Trolls, Flame-Baiters, and Spammers, but I'm just making a generalization.)

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Originally posted by macadddikt18:
i think one could also say that all generalazations are false.

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You do realize that's a contradiction in terms, right?

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Originally posted by macadddikt18:
People hear seem much more intellegant.

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Originally posted by macadddikt18:
but there is only so much a Dyslexic kid can do.

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Can I recommend an unprecedentedly useful little utility called SpellCatcher? I too suffer from dyslexia (thankfully mild but still annoying) and literally could not function without SC. It sits in the background and analyzes your keystrokes, alerting you when you've made a spelling error in ANY application. It's also configured to automatically correct many of the errors most common among dyslexics. It also has an unbelievable amount of options for customization and includes dictionaries for legal, medical, and geek terms, along with the ability to add your own.

Oh yeah, and it's available for Mac and Windows, though no OS X version yet. *nix users are out of luck, though.

full details available at http://www.spellcatcher.com

(for the record -- I have absolutely no affiliation with the company or the product beyond being a VERY satisfied customer)

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Originally posted by macadddikt18:
Hey, that is cool, I will check it out. In the mean time I just type up my posts in MS Word and paste them in here. I will check out that app though.
Nayt

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Originally posted by ASM65816:
From "History of the World, Part I"
Servant: "Sire, the peasants are revolting !"
King: "I know. They stink on ice."

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one of My all time favorite movies.......Z