Monday, October 20, 2008

Internet, Cellphones Keep Families Together



A Pew study was conducted, titled "Networked Families," finds that the Internet and mobile phones bring families together and promote shared online experiences.

The survey results showed the following:

1) Couples use their cellphones to connect and coordinate their lives, especially if they have children at home.

2) American spouses often go their separate ways during the day, but remain connected by cellphones and to some extent by Internet communications.

3) Most people are spending more hours per week at work (from 52.5 hours per week in 1970 to 62.8 hours per week in 1997) and this has led to a more complicated work and school schedules. The internet has increased the amount of time spent working in the office.

4) The Internet has substantially improved their ability to meet new people and it has improved the connections with friends a lot.

Overall, the majority of respondents expressed a positive or neutral view of the impact of technology on the quality of communication of the families.
How has the internet impacted your relationships with your families and friends? Do you feel more connected with them because of the new technology?


2 comments:

James Moore said...

I came across this research too. I must admit that these tools are how I and my wife keep in contact during the day - text, e-mail and short calls. Makes quite a difference to the day.

Marketer 2008 said...

I also save a lot of money when I need to communicate with relatives outside the US. I use www.meebo.com or www.chikka.com. Anyone can chat for free thru these websites.