Social networking helps older surfers

Despite recent claims about the detrimental effects of social-networking websites, a leading charity has said that there are many positive reasons for getting online, especially among older surfers. Age Concern found that two-thirds of older surfers they quizzed had reported improvements in their lives as a result of using the net. "Whether it’s using Facebook to stay in contact with friends, Skype for international calls to family abroad or using blogs to just have their say, social networking empowers previously isolated older people to stay connected and engaged," sais Leonie Vlachos of Age Concern. The research comes in the light of claims made by Baroness Greenfield, an Oxford University neuroscientist and director of the Royal Institution, who maintains that social-networking sites can cause alarming changes in the brains of younger users. Greenfield contents that sites like Facebook, Twitter and Bebo encourage instant gratification and make young people more self-centred. Dr Ben Goldacre, an NHS doctor and author of the Bad Science blog, said; "Professor Greenfield has been abusing her position as a professor, and head of the Royal Institution, for many years now, using these roles to give weight to her speculations and prejudices in a way that is entirely inappropriate."