Facebook Comparable to the Telephone

Facebook now 'ingrained' in

relationships

Danny Rose, AAP Medical Writer, AAPNovember 15, 2010, 3:06 pm

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An Australian study shows how Facebook and other forms of online social networking are now "ingrained" and how, for many, their friendships have come to depend on it.

Those who opt out completely were now a rare breed, the poll revealed, with just three per cent of respondents aged 18 to 30 not having a Facebook profile or equivalent.

Related: Seven things to consider before unfriending

While among respondents aged up to 80 years, the percentage of those who shunned all forms on online social networking was still less than 15 per cent.

"It is really ingrained in our society now," said Dr Rebecca Mathews, a researcher at the Australian Psychological Society (APS), told AAP on Monday.

"It is a major change in the way we communicate; I guess the telephone being invented was another major one that is comparable."

Dr Mathews polled more than 1800 people and found, overall, that 86 per cent were using online social networking - the vast majority using Facebook but also sites like Twitter and RSVP - and for many it was now part of their everyday routine.

A majority (53 per cent) of respondents said the websites gave them more regular contact with friends and family, while 79 per cent said it fostered closer ties with those living far away.

About a quarter (26 per cent) said they went out more and had more face-to-face contact as a result online social networking.

Half (52 per cent) of users aged 18 to 30 said they would "lose contact with many of their friends if they stopped", which raises the hypothetical question of what if Facebook was ever switched off?

"I don't think we'd fall in a heap, but it would be a major adjustment," Dr Mathews said.

"Once we introduce technology we really struggle to go backwards and, overall, we do think it is a positive."

More than a quarter (28 per cent) reported a "negative experience", such as harassment or unwanted contact, from online social networking but Dr Mathews said this matched rates of bullying in schools and workplaces.

"It may not be be that online social networking sites are a vehicle for negative experiences and bullying but just another forum in which they occur," she said.

Other key findings include:

• Among those who shun online social networking, the most common reasons were loss of interest, having "better things to do" and preferring to speak to people face-to-face.

• The majority (77 per cent) of users checked their profile daily, while 51 per cent did so "several times" daily.

• It's not a youth-dominated activity, with 81 per cent of those aged 31 to 50, and 64 per cent of those over 50, using online social networking.

• One in five (21 per cent) of those aged 31 to 50 admitted to forming an "intimate relationship" with someone they met online.

Facebook users aged under 30 had an average 263 friends, while those aged 31 to 50 had 206 friends and those aged over 50 had 92 friends.

People are reporting they have more social connections, and feeling part of a group is really important ... so we see this as really positive for their mental health," Dr Mathews said.

" ... As long as people set up the sites to meet their personal needs and to protect themselves (in terms of privacy)."

The APS has a guide to positive online social networking posted on its website at www.psychology.org.au/community/topics/socialnetworking/tips.

The research was released to mark National Psychology Week (November 14 - 20).