Internet “freaks” are normal after all

Users who find friends online tend to make personal contact later on Keystone

People who spend long periods surfing the Internet are not socially dysfunctional, according to a new study by the National Science Foundation. The findings show that online "relationships" complement rather than replace personal contacts.

The results of the survey, published in Bern on Wednesday, appear to contradict the notion that “Internet freaks” are lonely people who shy away from direct face-to-face contact with others.

The study by Bettina Heintz and Christoph Müller reveals that people who frequent online chat rooms or news groups are as socially adept as their less computer literate counterparts.

The study is based on data from about 100 people who use five of Switzerland’s most frequented Internet chat rooms.

The users surveyed were found to communicate regularly with an average of 16 people, both online and face-to-face. One in four of those contacts were found to be strictly on a virtual basis.

A significant finding of the study was that users who find new friends online tend to make personal contact with them later on.

The study says Switzerland’s relatively small size encourages personal contacts between frequent Internet users.

The average computer user in Switzerland is a 24-year old man, single and still lives with his parents. Many have higher education and work in information technology.

They spend about 35 hours a week in front of computer screens and surf the web for an average of 18 hours a week.

The scientists say they chose a novel approach in their research by targeting particularly active users of very frequently used chat rooms, rather than relying on well-established ways of online communication.

swissinfo with agencies