Internet to Blame for Lack of Close Friends

Anonymous Coward writes "Duke and University of Arizona researchers are citing the Internet as one of the main contributing factors to a shrinking of social networks among Americans. People say they have fewer people they can talk to about important stuff, even if they are talking to lots more people from all over the place about unimportant stuff online."

I've said it before...

[FSWKU]

... and I'll say it again. Where can I get giant bags of cash to study the blindingly obvious?

Imagine a beowulf cluster of friends.

[ABeowulfCluster]

That would be cool. I'd settle for one or two friends though.

Ob. bash quote

[slushdork]

<H0ley> Its like if you want to get a mate now a days, one has to get a myspace.
<H0ley> What ever happened to getting to know people and dates and crap.
<H0ley> Screw this profile crap.
<H0ley> Everyone is trying to profile each other.
<H0ley> Freaking meat-markets.
<L4m3r> Dogs leave piles of crap for each other. We have Myspace.

Re:Did they consider

[Kagura]

... researchers are citing the Internet as one of the main contributing factors to a shrinking of social networks among Americans.

What are you talking about? I've got 89,402,390 people in my social network! This internet thing is great!

Re:First post? Hello?

[NosTROLLdamus]

Hey man! What's up?

Yeah, I've been feeling kinda shitty lately, really unmotivated. I slept in to 12:30 today, because I really didnt' have anything to do. Some of my friends called a little while earlier, but they didn't leave a number, and I don't really feel like tracking them down.

I'd probably feel out of place anyway, I've been feeling like that more and more, It just seems like everyone else is so busy, and no matter how hard I try I accomplish nothing, plus there's that whole "issue" with...

Yeah, you guessed it. Isn't that fucked up? He could go to jail, you know, and the wierdest thing is that no on talks about it, it just sits there staring us right in the face.

Yeah, I haven't even signed up for classes yet either... I have on year left on a fucking liberal arts degree, I mean, I'm sure I could transfer the credits over and get a four year degree, but in what? Every job I get makes me want to bash my fucking brains out... Maybe something part time so I can spend it doing the things I like, IF I EVER GET FUCKING MOTIVATED ENOUGHT TO DO THEM. I dunno, I just don't want to be one of those guys who comes home and stares at the tv for a few hours, goes to bed, and repeats the ordeal everday. Lame.

Well, I guess I better eat. Maybe I'll get to those shirt designs today... I should probably get on that. Catch you later, eck011219.

Re:Did they consider

[Kagura]

Gee, thanks, Tom!

I have plenty of friends!

[Anonymous Coward]

H4ck3r214, ODDRAGE, Vader001, ILoveSoy, MagicGRAPE, and Centurion just to name a few!

Re:Imagine a beowulf cluster of friends.

[eclectro]

That would be cool. I'd settle for one or two friends though.

You know what would even be cooler?? If one of those friends was a girl.

Re:Did they consider

[jb.hl.com]

I'd like to nominate Tom as the person with the biggest real penis/internet penis discrepancy in the world. You know he deserves it.

I live here...

[Anonymous Coward]

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-25.482661,112. 972273&spn=0.003724,0.004302&t=k&om=1 [google.com] ...where am I going to get some friends?

Two

[mobby_6kl]

Two chicks at the same time, man.

Friends networks?

[fbg111]

"main contributing factors to a shrinking of social networks among Americans."

What are they talking about, I have over 9000 friends on MySpace alone! Shrinking social networks my arse...

Re:Close Friends?

[Ash Vince]

Lack of close friends due to the internet? Bullshit, I have no friends because I keep offending anyone who comes close.

Finally I know the cause

[AK Marc]

I'm glad to know I don't have any friends because of the Internet.

All these years, I thought it was because I was an asshole.

Rubbish

[mattwarden]

I have 739 facebook friends, so I don't know what the hell these guys are talking about.

What do you mean?

[Naomi_the_butterfly]

What do you mean, I lack friends? Just look at my MySpace friends list!

Re:Two

[Anonymous Coward]

Two chicks at the same time, man.

I'd settle for two chicks in the same year, man.

Re:Two

[Original Replica]

Two chicks at the same time, man.
That would quickly turn into a Beowolf cluster-fuck. (first one way then the other)

Re:Imagine a beowulf cluster of friends.

[Loonacy]

Uh oh, you broke Slashdot Rule #4.
Never, under ANY circumstances, admit to being female.

Because of the internet I have plenty of friends!

[JoeCommodore]

Why just today a bunch of friends wrote - there was Tim, Sinjin and Elrond letting me know about my problem with the gym & weight loss, and don't forget Mike who told me how to increase my love muscle!

I getmail from all the gals too, such as Sonjia and Marci, who both saw my stats on a dataing site (funny I never signed up for any dating sites...) but they REALLY want to meet me!

That guy who wrote the article must just be a loser. ;-D

or

[gfody]

Girlfriends are to blame. For some reason they hate all your friends and you have to stop hanging out with them or you get no sex.

Re:Imagine a beowulf cluster of friends.

[Loonacy]

Oh, I see... ......
Pics?

Uhhhh

[rob1980]

The number of people who say they have no one to talk to about important matters has more than doubled, according to a new study by sociologists at Duke University and the University of Arizona.

That's horseshit. If I need to talk about important matters with someone, I'll just message someone in my guild.