Internet collaboration extends to families

Families who use mobile phones and the internet are more closely in touch

Enterprises are not the only ones using the internet to improve collaboration, according to a recent study.

Families who regularly use mobile phones and the internet are more closely in touch with each other, and are more likely to share experiences with each other on returning home, a Pew Research study has found.

"Although some commentators have expressed fears that technology pulls families apart, this survey finds that couples use their phones to connect and coordinate their lives, especially if they have children at home," said the report.

"American spouses often go their separate ways during the day, but remain connected by cell phones and to some extent by internet communications."

The study also found that, when online, highly connected families are more likely to communicate with each other and share web sites and files among themselves.

A quarter of adult respondents said that their families are closer now than the previous generation's, compared to 11 per cent who said that they are not as close and 60 per cent who identified no difference.

The news was not all good for wired families, however. The study found that with an increasing reliance on technology came longer hours.

Additionally, families who use multiple communication devices are less likely to eat together, and when they do get leisure time the families report less satisfaction with their time off.