Online networking good or bad for you?

[webcowgirl]

There's an article with a nearly complete lack of data behind it on the BBC site today that claims that online networking is harmful to your health. I disagree with nearly everything this person has to say, especially in terms of how the problems he describes are actually related to the cause cited. What do you think?

(Also, review of Pied Piper-based Into the Hill" now available online.)

[Poll #1351954]

Comments

[ashbet]

I've met some of my closest in-person friends through online networking, if you count LJ. That article is very low on facts ;P

-- A <3

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

That's what has made me laugh. Doing stuff online has helped me find the people I like in real life.

[steer.livejournal.com]

This can be backed with "science" now apparently. Students who participated in Facebook sites before going to university more quickly established a real life friends group when going to university. (At least according to a visting prof a couple of weeks ago).

Of course it could be that those students were more outgoing anyway.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Google the psychologist they quote - a first class media whore! Hopefully our man Goldacre will skewer this nonsense.

[oldmangrumpus.livejournal.com]

The real question is:

Is listening to alarmist sensational media harmful to your mental health?

The answer may surprise you!

[jhg.livejournal.com]

Pff. Doesn't make any difference to me, I only use them to stop me going stark raving mad at work - if I wasn't stuck here, I'd probably be on LJ about half an hour a day, with a much-reduced F-list, to scan for party invites and the like. (as past experience has shown)

[miss-bordeaux.livejournal.com]

For me, it’s great because I don’t much like people! So it effectively decreases the face to face interactions I'd have to have with people :-)