越来越多的研究结果表明，大量使用短信、电邮或在社交媒体网站发帖在社交方面是有益处的。这些研究报告跟以往我们头脑中一个孩子孤独地坐在电脑前或者在网上被欺负的印象正好相反。

A growing body of research indicates the widespread use of texting, emailing or posting on social-media sites has social benefits. The studies fly in the face of the image of a child sitting lonely in front of a computer, or being bullied online.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images3月1日，几名儿童在德国汉诺威一个科技展会上试用联网的笔记本电脑。位于劳伦斯（Lawrence）的堪萨斯大学（University of Kansas）的传媒研究教授南希•拜姆（Nancy Baym）说，总的来看，科技似乎是进一步强化了真实世界的人际关系，原因是人们使用数字通信手段主要是和线下最亲密的人而不是和陌生人互动。拜姆博士和她的同事于2009年在《信息、传播与社会》（Information, Communication & Society）杂志上发表了研究报告，称数字通信拉紧了人们之间的联系音频翻译。

On the whole, technology appears to enhance real-world relationships, says Nancy Baym, a communication-studies professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. One reason: People use digital communication primarily to interact with people they are closest to offline, not with strangers. The communication tightens the bonds between them, Dr. Baym and her colleagues found in a study they published in the journal Information, Communication & Society in 2009.

在后续调查中，研究人员把高度焦虑和低度焦虑的学生随机分为四组通过网络聊天室或面对面进行互动，有社交焦虑的参与者在聊天室里比面对面与人互动时更可能做决定及领导所在小组。其他小组成员说，他们发现有焦虑问题的参与者在线上互动时更加可爱和外向。在面对面互动的情况下，被视作领导者的都是没有社交焦虑的参与者上海翻译公司。

In a follow-up study, researchers randomly assigned high- and low-anxiety students to groups of four to interact in an online chat room or face to face. Socially anxious participants were more likely to make decisions and lead the group when they were in the chat room than when face-to-face with others. Other group members said they found the anxious participants more likeable and extroverted when the interaction occurred online. In the face-to-face situation, the non-anxious participants were the ones seen as leaders.