"It can be exhilarating, at least at first, to connect with long-lost friends," says network science expert Steven Strogatz,

PhD, a professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University. But the downside, he worries, is growing confusion between our weak ties (people who might be useful in referring us to a good dentist or helping us find a job) and our strong ties (those we're very close to). "The distinction between genuine friends and acquaintances is becoming blurred. Users are spending time maintaining relationships with people they don't really care about." And who are these people, anyway? Electronic relationships make it easy for "friends" to misrepresent themselvesalways showing their best side, for instancenotes Pauline Wiessner, PhD, a University of Utah anthropologist who studies social networks. Anonymity also allows darker impulses to flourish. In one tragic case, 13-year-old Megan Meier hanged herself after being cyberbullied on MySpace by Josh Evansnot a real boy, it turned out, but a creation of neighbors. Baroness Greenfield, an Oxford University neuroscientist and director of the Royal Institution, believes repeated exposure could effectively 'rewire' the brain. 'We know how small babies need constant reassurance that they exist,' she told the Mail yesterday.'My fear is that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment.''I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitised and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages of meat on the supermarket shelf,' she said.'I'm not against technology and computers. But before they start social networking, they need to learn to make real relationships with people.' Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users, an eminent scientist has warned. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans, encourage instant gratification and make young people more self-centeredparents and teachers who complain that many youngsters lack the ability to communicate or concentrate away from their screens.Then she argued that exposure to computer games, instant messaging, chat rooms and social networking sites could leave a generation with poor attention spans could increase the risk of serious health illness (like cancer and heart disease) because they the levels of face-to-face communication necessary for humans. He called it "increased isolation" which negative effects includes altering the way genes work,upsetting immune responses, hormone levels and the function of arteries, and it could also impair mental performance.purpose maybe to bring people together but in reality they played a significant role in people becoming more isolated (stuck to their computers in short).Dr Sigman said 209 'socially regulated' genes had been identified, including ones involved in the immune system, cell proliferation and responses to stress.Their activity may account for higher rates of inflammatory disease and other health problems seen in socially isolated individuals.Electronic media was also undermining the ability of children and young people to learn vital social skills and read body language, said Dr Sigman.'One of the most pronounced changes in the daily habits of British citizens is a reduction in the number of minutes per day that they interact with another human being,' he said.'In less than two decades, the number of people saying there is no one with whom they discuss important matters nearly tripled.oday's teens and college students are what researchers call "digital natives," or the "iGeneration," a generation constantly connected to the Internet and Facebook, texting and instant messaging.While teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies, they also have chances to learn how to socialize, particularly shy teens.