Lonely in a sea of people

A friend sent me this article about increasing loneliness, not only in America but around the world. It generally agrees with my belief that Facebook and other social networking sites only provide the illusion of interacting with others socially.

Some numbers to ponder:

The two were struck by findings from the General Social Survey (conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago), showing that people reported having fewer intimate friends in 2004 than they had in 1985. When asked how many people they could confide in, the average number declined over that same time period from three to two. In 2004, almost a quarter of those surveyed said they had no one to discuss important matters with in the past six months; in 1985, only 7 percent were devoid of close confidantes.