Internet users evolve into loners

Internet users are becoming loners who are outcast from normal society. This was revealed as part of a Stanford University study on how the internet is changing the way people live.

The Internet is distancing its users from the outside world, as more and more interaction takes place via a computer and not on a face-to-face basis, according to Norman Nie, a Stanford politics professor. He asks, "Can you get a hug, a warm voice, over the internet? (No, Ed)"

Nie predicts that the trend towards social withdrawal will increase. Companies such as car manufacturer Ford recently said it would give all its employees a personal computer and internet connection to encourage more internet usuage.