Step away from the computer

T+D, March, 2003

No sooner had the Internet started to reach U.S. homes than a great debate began. The Internet's critics decried that Internet users were making a terrible sacrifice, substituting online entertainment and communication for more meaningful and rewarding face-to-face interaction. Internet proponents countered that it enables us to connect, albeit virtually, with people across the globe, creating new communities that would otherwise be impossible. The debate is still on. However, research conducted at Stanford University and published at IT&Society.org www.itandsociety.org shows that "like a hydraulic system," there's an equilibrium to maintain: Time spent on the Internet means time spent away from traditional, face-to-face social activities.

Whether a virtual social life is equal to a real life is still open to debate. But there's no question, according to the survey, that Internet usage at home has a "strong negative impact on time spent with friends and family." For every hour spent on the Internet at home, the model suggests, people spend an average of almost 30 fewer minutes with their families.