| Text-based asynchronous electronic mail is the single most popular use for the Internet, and by 2002 more than half of American households were on-line. This study used self-report surveys distributed by electronic mail in which 133 subjects responded using Likert-scale answers to questions about their e-mail habits. The participants were almost evenly divided regarding whether or not they claimed to maintain a primary friendship mostly by electronic mail rather than through face-to-face interaction. Analysis of variance was used to discern significant differences between the two groups using scales for friends, intimacy, common interpersonal links, and 18 individual variables. The two groups showed significant differences—those claiming to maintain primary friendships on-line reported having more on-line friends and message traffic. |
