Can the Internet Help Loneliness?

The Internet has a significant potential in our lives to decrease social isolation and/or loneliness. But does it? Most people have read only the horrors of internet social interactions, such as sex predators hooking up with their victims, malicious and intentional lying about one’s self and/or others, and on line affairs which have caused divorces (or if not divorce, certainly very hard feelings within the married relationship).

And, yet, many individuals will tell you the support they obtained from their Breast Cancer forum, or the learning one obtained from their New RV Owner site. Many other anecdotal stories abound, about the support, friendships, information, etc. they have obtained.

Therefore, a recent study researched if any one had looked at the potential for good, and if they did, what were the findings.

Unfortunately, the studies which had been done were not well designed; therefore, findings were contradictory and non-significant.

The need for conducting well designed studies is self-evident. If one could show the decrease in social isolation or loneliness that seems so obvious, especially when the Internet offers the only possible means of communication with others; funding and additional health resources could be added. The consequences of such planned interventions would have a significant impact on the health status of our vulnerable groups; i.e. the elderly, the disabled, troubled teenagers.