Brits declare their love on the loo via social networks

New Yahoo! Mail has launched research unveiling Generation 140 - the changed face of Britain's online communications following the explosive growth of social networks. Contrary to popular belief, Generation 140 is not just young people who've changed the way they keep in touch. Now we all want it all: bite sized updates, a constant stream of information and the personal touch. In the UK, we are all Generation 140 - and we're leading the way in Europe.

So what characterises Generation 140? The Yahoo! survey showed:

The birth of a phenomenon: A staggering 40% of people surveyed in the UK have learnt via a social network that a friend or relative has given birth, more than anywhere else in Europe

Get a room. Or an email account: 13% of Britons polled heard or said I love you for the first time via a social network, rising to 16% among 16-24yr olds. Plus 3% of Brits included in the survey have even received a marriage proposal online

Log-in: 19% of those surveyed claim to check their social networks on the toilet (more than any other European nation), and 54% click away in bed!

Up close and personal: Despite Generation 140's apparent desire to share their most personal moments with an audience, nearly two thirds of people (62%) of those surveyed in the UK say they would prefer to receive an email with personal news as opposed to a mass update

This idea of Generation 140 wanting to have its cake and eat it - share with an audience but at the same time keep the most personal content for emails - came through strongly in Yahoo!'s research:

More than 1 in 5 said the most touching message they had ever received was via email; less than 5% said it was in a social network message

34% of Britons surveyed admit to being upset when discovering friends and family have revealed personal news online

Forced to choose, more Brits would take their email account to a desert island with them rather than a social media profile.

Thanks to the new Yahoo! Mail, Generation 140 now can have it all. New Yahoo! Mail (yahoo.co.uk/newyahoomail) has evolved to cope with all these changes in communication by combining all your social networking and email needs in one user-friendly package. Not only does New Yahoo! Mail offer the fastest and safest ever Yahoo! Mail, but also integrates Facebook, Twitter and Flickr into your mailbox, putting your network of friends, photos, updates and tweets all in one easy-to-manage mailbox.