John Markoff

Early in 2000, the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society released its report Internet and Society. The study concluded that the Internet- which people use alone-might be creating feelings of isolation among those who go online. If the Internet causes people to spend substantially less time in real human contact, it might have negative social consequences. The article below, written by New York Times reporter John Markoff, offers both a discussion of the institute's findings and comments from those who disagree with the study.

THE NATION'S OBSESSION WITH THE INTERNET is causing many Americans to spend less time with friends and family, less time shopping in stores and more time working at home after hours, according to one of the first large—scale surveys of the societal impact of the Internet...