According to a recent survey of Internet use, the Internet has displaced television watching, telephone interaction, and other socialization activities with less interactive electronic mail and message boards.

According to the telephone survey, the average Internet user spends three hours per day on-line, cutting into socialization time.

The survey noted that 57% of Internet use was devoted to electronic mail, message boards, and chat rooms. The other 43% was devoted to other web activities such as multi-user games.

“Clearly,” wrote the researchers, “Internet users interact with fewer people and less often than non-Internet users.”

Some of the socialization activities Internet users missed out on were watching television, sleeping, and, eerily, answering telephone surveys. The researchers noted that Internet users are less likely to answer telephone surveys while they are using the Internet. Researches called this “a frightening development. Clearly, Internet usage is socially problematic.” Researchers cautioned the public to “answer their telephones more often, and watch more television with their families.”