Internet Use and Social Behavior

There are a fair number of studies attempting to quantitatively explore how using the Internet affects people’s behavior. One famous early study, a paper by Kraut et al apparently discovered that using the Internet more led to less activity with former pastimes and less social contact. While the findings caused some amount of concern, it is not entirely clear that an ‘Internet Paradox’ exists. After all, if one begins any new hobby or pastime, one will naturally spend less time on previous activities. If one makes new networks of social relationships in any circumstance, it would not be unusual to observe less time and attention spent on other acquaintances. Time, after all, remains a constant. Other studies have attempted to directly observe the impacts of Internet use on local communities.

Allan Friedman
January, 2002