Thursday, November 30, 2006

virtual pals

This just in from BBC Technology News

A survey found 43% of online networkers from the US felt "as strongly" about their web community as they did about their real-world friends. It also revealed net-users had made an average of 4.6 virtual pals this year. The survey, from the US-based Center for the Digital Future, of 2,000 individuals forms part of a six-year study into attitudes to the web.

4.6, huh? That's a pretty good average acquisition of new pals. I certainly don't make that many new friends in my real-world community per year! But I would say that I make more than that in my virtual life. I guess that makes me more virtually oriented than real-world oriented. It's funny when you see yourself in a whole new light.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Virtual pals." Or as I call them, eLationships.

Anonymous said...

This isn't a bad phenomenon as long as people are careful about actually MEETING net friends in person.

Net friends are actually more wallet-friendly than "real" friends, if you ask me. Instead of paying to go out for coffee with a "real" friend, I could make my own coffee for a few cents, sit in front of the computer, and have just as scintillating a conversation with a net friend. :)

Anonymous said...

"A survey found 43% of online networkers from the US felt "as strongly" about their web community as they did about their real-world friends."

I don't see why not. After all, there are real people behind the nicks in chatrooms.