Contrary to arguments that social media is bad for you, it expands and deepens social contacts

A new study by Pew Internet Social Isolation and New Technology found that use of Internet social media improves social interaction.

There have been several studies this year that held social networking like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter isolate people from their friends.

Anyone who uses social networking knows this is not true but it is interesting when research proves the point.

Pew Internet is part of the Pew Research Centre, a think tank supported a trust started by the adult children of Sun Oil founder Joseph Pew. It is non partisan research organization that provides insight in social trends in the US.

This Pew Internet Personal Networks and Community survey finds that Americans are not as isolated as has been previously reported. People’s use of the mobile phone and the internet is associated with larger and more diverse discussion networks. And, when we examine people’s full personal network – their strong and weak ties – internet use in general and use of social networking services such as Facebook in particular are associated with more diverse social networks. Social Isolation and New Technology

The complete study is not that long and provides interesting insights into the value of social networking.

We are in the midst of a major social change as the baby boomers transition out of their control position and transfer control implicitly to the younger generation.

It is predictable that social scientists will analyze the situation and find good and bad. The reality is that change is inevitable. Younger people think, act and are different from their parents. Just as post-World War II families had differing social values from their depression-era parents, the new generation will establish its own set of values in society.

Other studies on social networking this year held that social networking is eroding family time (Annenburg Centre for the Digital Future) and Facebook users get lower grades .

The reality is people are using social networks include their cellphones to communicate more often and with more people. That can’t be bad for humans.

Story from ComputerWorld