Facebook 'turning Brits into introverts'

London, May 2 (ANI): Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace might be a great way of meeting new people, but they are turning British people into introverts, a new survey has found.

In the study led by market research company Mintel, over 50 pct of the adults revealed that they spend more time chatting online than they do actually speaking to friends and family.

The researchers found that people were making fewer phone calls, sending fewer texts and emails, watching less television and spending less time on computer games.

Half of British internet surfers have signed up to at least one social networking site, compared to 27 per cent in France, 33 per cent in Japan, and 40 per cent in the US.

"Britain has undoubtedly become a nation of Facebook addicts," the Telegraph quoted a Mintel spokesman as saying.

The firm believes that the recession is likely to boost the popularity of social networking sites, as people would use them to stay in touch.

The report revealed that one in five people who use the sites are "constantly checking" for new messages and updates.

Moreover, one in 10 admitted that they had added a person as a "friend" on a site, without ever knowing them in real life. (ANI)