There’s a common perception that hours spent interacting with technology carry the side effect of creating a generation of social isolates. Not so, according to Social Isolation and New Technology which reports on a new study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project whose work we’ve featured in NewsFeed in the past. The research indicates that technology does not lead to social isolation, as many often suspected. Instead, researchers found that online participation and mobile phone usage leads to people having larger and more diverse ‘core discussion networks’ (defined as the places where we can discuss "important matters" with friends and people we trust).
