since 1997, the amount of time that we have been spending with real people has decreased — and this is affecting our health in the worst way. since the ongoing recession has made “real” social interaction more expensive, people are seeking alternative ways to keep themselves “entertained.”

social networking is slowly killing us

according to a recent research study conducted by dr. aric sigman in biologist magazine, our social networking activities are slowly killing us by:

1. altering how our genes work
2. upsetting our immune responses, hormone levels, functions of the arteries
3. influencing our mental performance

social networking, notes dr. sigman, has been keeping people isolated.

adrian stewart, ceo and founder of azure internet marketing, has been tracking similar behavioral developments on behalf of his clients and students. reacting to the findings of the research, stewart aired his concern regarding the direction that the increasing usage and dependence of people to social networking, is leading to. he remarked:

“time on social networks, gaming, multimedia, gambling and humor are on the increase. it would appear that as americans and europeans come to terms with layoffs, redundancy and gloomy economic forecasts. then the internet is helping people not only when it comes to writing resumes and job searching but also by offering a low or no cost way to pass their time.”

stewart also believes that the long term physiological effects of internet usage outweighs its short term psychological benefits. he notes that the physiological effects are causing an increasing trend in the incidence of illness and premature mortality.

imho — the “technology as nature” mantra is not scary, as long as it’s leveraged properly. but sometimes i do wonder if our society may be in danger of becoming so dependent on social networking that we rarely interact in “real life” anymore.

i’m curious to know: what are the pluses and the minuses of social networking for you? do you find yourself more insular in your personal interactions? or do you think the usage of social networking sites like facebook is simply a way for people to feel “connected” on a more dynamic level? what are you doing to stay “entertained” in this recession without spending money?

» this post originally appeared on open-field – a new social networking site that i founded with my friend rosiland rosario