Internet users also report that the Internet helps them make new friends, both online and off. Internet users, on average, have just under five contacts online who they consider to be "friends" but have never met in real life, and almost two friends in real life that they originally met online. Those numbers may seem low to those of us who frequent events like Arsmeets on a regular basis, but the report claims that the number of offline friends that originated online has more than doubled since the project began six years ago. Tipping the scales on the high end, I think it's fairly safe to say that well over 80% of all of my real life friends and acquaintances originated from the Internet in some way—that's well over just two people.
Most importantly, the report says that 43 percent of those who participate in online communities feel "as strongly" about their online buddies as those offline. What this shows is that—due to the proliferation of chat rooms, blogs, sites like MySpace, forums, games, virtual worlds, and other communities online—Internet users are reaching out to more people, not less, as technology critics have feared. So, anyone want to go grab a cup of coffee?