Cell phones, internet bind families together, says study

Overcoming the pressures of present day lives and in more ways than one covering up for the lack of time people have these days, cell phones and internet have helped American families to remain close to each other, as much as the past generations, says recent survey.

Thanks to these technological wonders, staying connected is not only easier and faster but also effortless, helping members of the family remain connected despite the busy schedules; says a survey which is first of its kind done ever to study the effects of these technologies on family life.

"There had been some fears that the Internet had been taking people away from each other," said Barry Wellman, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto and one of the authors of the report. "We found just the opposite."

The study, which involved a national poll of 2,252 people, was published by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, yesterday. It included a profiled group of 482 adults who were either married or living together and had minor children, categorising them as traditional nuclear families.

It was found in the poll that while, 60% of adults felt they were not affected at all by the new technologies, another 25% said cell phones and online communication made their families closer as compared to the 11% who felt that these things had a negative effect on their family lives.

While the two parent nuclear families showed maximum usage of internet and cell phones, with 94% of them accepting that atleast one family member was using the internet and around 84% saying that their children too used the net.
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Wellman said families appreciated the innovations because "they know what each other is doing during the day."

Parents too have welcomed this decade old technology with open arms as it helps them stay connected with kids despite being busy. They feel it’s useful for their children and would benefit them well.

The poll showed that 42% parents called their children between the age group of 7-17 atleast once a day on their cell phones, while, 35% called on a landline and around 7% used SMS to stay in touch.

As far the quality of communication goes, 47% people felt that this technology has improved the quality of communication since it has been introduced, for the better; another 47% felt no change in the quality while a minuscule 2% felt a fall in the quality of communication.