Last week my vague feelings of unease about social networking were fanned by a
fascinating study by the Mental Health Foundation, which blamed high levels
of loneliness among young people on their use of virtual, rather than real,
communication. Dubbed the “Eleanor Rigby generation”, those aged 18-34 (84%
of whom use the internet regularly) are the most likely to be lonely,
according to the report. And 31% admitted that they spent too much time
online rather than face to face.