The Ills of Social Networking (sniff)

Feeling a bit under the weather? Can't shake off a sniffle?

Hmm, so maybe it's all that social networking you've been doing.

Lots of reports about this just now, with an 'expert' claiming that social networking sites could harm your health because they limit your face to face contact with other human beings. I guess that what you make up with in not catching their germs, you lose by, well, this:

...evidence suggests that a lack of face-to-face networking could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance.

This, (the expert) claims, could increase the risk of health problems as serious as cancer, strokes, heart disease, and dementia.

Blimey! Good job I'm old and we didn't have all this internets stuff when I was growing up.

So, if you're tweeting on facebook all the time, maybe you should think of your health a bit more? Do you think??

Mind you, it seems even the trees are getting in on this social networking larch. There's an Activity Forest park in Devon that's got a Facebook profile.