Not-so-social networking sites

Social networking has become a numbers game as people accept total strangers as their friends just to increase numbers in their profile, according to a new study.

The research, carried out by price comparison site moneysupermarket.com, shows seven per cent of people have no “proper” friends on their friends list. Over half (51 per cent) of people confessed up to three in 10 of their listed friends are not real friends.

A massive eight in 10 (84 per cent) people would even allow an ex-partner as their friend, with nine per cent admitting they use social networking to see what their ex’s are up to. There are some who are more selective, with four in 10 (42 per cent) not accepting someone they know through work.

The results also highlight four in 10 (45 per cent) people use these sites to let their friends know what they’re doing. One in five (19 per cent) look for like-minded people, something which is important to the over 45s, with over half (53 per cent) doing this.

Rob Barnes, head of broadband and mobiles at moneysupermarket.com, said: “Sites such as Facebook and MySpace can be a great way to keep in touch with people, and even to make new friends. However, it’s evident people use social networking sites as a way of increasing their social status. Regardless of whether they’re real or not; people want to be seen with as many friends as possible. The results also show that some people use these sites to look for a new love but more worryingly spying on ex-partners is also extremely popular."

People have become apprehensive about using social networking sites, over a quarter (26 per cent) say they don’t trust them. Despite not trusting these sites 70 per cent of people don’t set the highest level of security on their social networking page.

Barnes, added: "The attraction of faceless contact with others seems to lower people's inhibitions and ease any security worries. It’s shocking to see so many people don’t set the security level to 'high', especially in an age where online fraud is increasing."