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iPhones, 165 Facebook friends, online chatrooms: We’re more connected than ever ….but not connected at all.
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| We have a bundle of ‘friends’ who aren’t,warns new research. |
That’s according to Optus, who say 85% of Australians feel they are not communicating with friends and family as much as they would like, despite e-mails, Facebook and a multitude of messaging services available.
And shock, horror, almost half (43%) admit they spend more time communicating with people outside friends and family.
It seems we are focusing on quantity not quality, when it comes to communicating with others, (cue adding Facebook ‘friends’ like there’s no tommorrow).
The average Aussie has 165 Facebook friends, however a mere 33 of these are considered ‘close’, according to Optus research among over 2000 Aussies aged 16-64.
But it seems despite social networking looking to bring people together, it is in fact doing nothing to improve comms in the modern age.
45 per cent say virtual socialising on Facebook, Twitter and the likes makes them feel “less close” to friends and family, with a large number admitting they find it difficult to say the words they need to loved ones, in particular to parents (what like, give me more money?).
Apparently not.
There is a desire amongst us to connect with our derest and nearest on a “deeper” level. 66% would like to spend more time communicating with their closest friends and family, with ‘I love you’ topping the list of what we’d most like to say with ‘You mean the world to me’ also a must-say-but cant-say phrase cited.
Gen Y in particular is the ‘Disconnected Generation’ with a whopping 241 Facebook friends, on average, but only 44 are considered close.
More than 50% confess they find it difficult to say what they need to loved ones because it leaves them feeling uncomfortable.
Aussies send 40 emails a week on average, with “only” one third of these to friends and family.
However, this is no surprise considering work e-mails will always take up a large proportion of the total sent.
Gen Y send the most emails per week at 49, but a mere 12 of those are to loved ones.
