Heavy Net users are loners, study suggests
Aug. 2, 2006. 05:49 PM
CANADIAN PRESS
Canadians who spend more time online are more likely to neglect family and real-life friends, says a new Statistics Canada survey, but experts say the numbers paint a bleaker picture than personal experience and other research suggests.
The survey, which examined the Internet habits of 20,000 people across the country, found heavy Internet users those who spent more than an hour a day surfing the Web for fun spent at least half an hour per day on the computer rather than interacting with spouses or children.
They also found themselves alone for two extra hours a day and were more likely to shirk household chores, the study concluded.
Jeffrey Boase, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto who will shortly defend his thesis on email and social networks, said the Internet has saved him from social isolation.
I spend a lot of time working in solitude, and the Internet is one way to be more social," said Boase, who spends an average of 10 hours a day online.
If anything, its helped me stay more connected."
Boase is not among those Internet users who spend time in chat rooms developing relationships with strangers. The majority of his online contact is with friends or co-workers with whom he would not have a chance to socialize in person, he said.
Frequent e-mail exchanges help him cope with his workload and feel connected to life outside the home in which he does most of his work, he added.
The assumption is that the Internet is causing these things to happen, but, I mean, it may be the other way around, Boase said.
It may be that people who are already prone to spending a lot of time alone may be online. ... Its possible they may be sending e-mail to people. So even though theyre physically alone, they may not be emotionally alone."
Barry Wellman, a professor of sociology at the University of Toronto, acknowledged that online social networks do occasionally displace family interaction, but said such a trend is to be expected with societys increasing reliance on technology.
Were all becoming heavy Internet users over time, Wellman said. We lead somewhat different lifestyles now that include the computer.
Some experts found the Statscan research supported their own findings and confirmed their negative experiences with respect to what online excess can do to families.
Kimberly Young, founder of the Center for Online Addiction in Pennsylvania, said she has seen many families suffer because of one persons Internet addiction.
Its like the television, she said. Its something of electronic noise competing for our attention, so its easy to lose track of ones loved ones.
Online affairs are now one of the leading causes of divorce, said Young, who is even more concerned about the children of heavy Internet users, who will often mimic the habits of their parents.
She cited the example of a 15-year-old girl who began meeting older men online as a way of imitating her mothers online habits.
Boase, the son of a computer programmer, said the influence of a computer-savvy parent was nothing but positive.
My father knew a lot about computers, and actually by interacting with him, I learned about computers myself, he said. ``It gave us a common interest. It was something we could talk about later. It was just an activity I did, like playing sports.
Alan Mirabelli, executive director of the Vanier Institute of the Family, was more concerned about the Internets influence in conjunction with tv or other media.
When you look at it on the surface, you say, A half-hour? Well, thats reasonable. But if that same person is watching two to three hours of television a day, youre putting off conversations that may be essential to members of your family.
Some people also use the excuse of work to mask their Internet use and help bury pending family problems, Mirabelli added.
Young and others said the Statscan numbers do not suggest a pervasive national problem, since serious Internet addictions only impact five to 10 per cent of the population.
But Young cautioned parents and children alike to maintain a balance between online and offline activities.
Certainly people can develop new friendships and explore new cultures in a very intensive way, but if you spend all your time online, you wont develop team-work skills or learn how to interact properly, she said. Anything done to excess can be problematic.
Thoughts?
- Whirly
