---
title: "Confidant Crisis Averted"
description: "Is there a \"confidant crisis\" or just a new set of data to be taken into account?"
date: "2006-07-17"
authors:
  - name: "Susannah Fox"
    job_title: "Former Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/susannah-fox/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2006/07/17/confidant-crisis-averted/"
categories:
  - "Social Media"
---

# Confidant Crisis Averted

Ann Hulbert's essay, ["Confidant Crisis,"](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/magazine/16wwln_lede.html) in the July 16, 2006, New York Times Magazine highlighted data from our report, ["The Strength of Internet Ties,"](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/PPF/r/172/report_display.asp) in which we found that the internet helps maintain people's social networks. Hulbert explained, for the benefit of the ever-shrinking group of people unaware of MySpace, that the word "friend" is no longer just a noun, but a verb. For better or worse, I was reminded of another insightful commentary on social networking -- The Daily Show's ["Trendspotting: Social Networking"](http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/videos/demetri_martin/index.jhtml) segment which makes a similar, if much more ridiculous, point. I recommend checking out both the Times essay and Daily Show piece, after reading our report, of course.