Does Technology Reduce Social Isolation?
Hundreds of daily updates come from friends on Facebook and Twitter,but do people actually feel closer to each other?
每天在Facebook和Twitter上都有朋友们数以百计的更新,但实际生活中人们是否感觉彼此更亲近呢?
It turns out the size of the average American’s social circle is smaller today than 20 years ago,as measured by the number of self-reported confidants in a person’s life.Yet contrary to popular opinion,use of cellphones and the Internet is not to blame,according to a new study released Wednesday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
根据互联网与美国生活专案周三发布的一项最新调查,在计算过美国人日常生活中自己认为的密友知己的数量后,事实证明当代美国人社交圈子的平均人数比他们20年前要小.但是与当前流行的观点所不同的是,这并不归罪于手机的使用和网络的普及.
In fact,people who regularly use digital technologies are more social than the average American and more likely to visit parks and cafes,or volunteer for local organizations,according to the study,which was based on telephone interviews with a national sample of 2,512 adults living in the continental United States.
根据一项调查表明,事实上经常使用数字技术的人比普通的美国人更具社交性,而且也更多的游览公园,光顾咖啡馆或更多的参加当地的志愿者活动.该项调查通过电话采访了美国本土大陆的2512名成年人.
The study found some less-than-social behavior,however.People who use social networks like Facebook or Linkedin are 30 percent less likely to know their neighbors and 26 percent less likely to provide them companionship.
这项调查也发现了一些不太符合社交性的习惯的行为,那就是,经常使用社交网站Facebook和Linkedin的人不太喜欢去认识他们的邻居,有26%的不喜欢和邻居交往.
The circle of close friends for mobile phone users tends to be 12 percent larger than for nonusers.People who share online photos or instant messages have 9 percent larger social circles than nonusers.
经常使用手机的人,他们的好朋友圈子比不使用手机者常常要多12%,在网上分享自己的照片和及时信息的人,他们的好朋友圈子比不使用者常常要多9%.
The study also found that people still prefer face-to-face communication as the primary means to stay in touch with friends and family (people see loved ones in person an average of 210 days a year).Respondents said that they were in touch via mobile phone an average of 195 days a year.
这项调查也发现人们更喜欢面对面的沟通,这是他们和好友和家庭成员保持联系的最重要的方式(人们一年中有210天会亲自看自己的亲人).被调查者说他们一年中平均有195天通过手机和他们联系.
