"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." - Mare from Bookmarklet

Public spaces, such as parks, libraries and community centers, as well as "third places" highlighted by analyst Ray Oldenburg, such as cafés and restaurants, are an important source of exposure to diverse ideas, issues and opinions -- as well as meeting places for interacting with social ties.1 Contrary to concerns that internet use leads to withdrawal from public spaces we generally found that interest use is associated with engagement in such places. * Compared to those who do not use the internet, internet users are 42% more likely to visit a public park or plaza and 45% more likely to visit a coffee shop or café. * Bloggers are 61% more likely to visit a public park than internet users who do not maintain a blog, or about 2.3 times more likely than non-internet users. - Mare