Optus has released the results of a communication survey, with findings showing users place more importance on the quantity rather than quality of communication.

 

According to the research, 85 per cent of Australians feel they are not communicating with friends and family as much as they would like, while almost half (43 per cent) admit they spend more time communicating with people outside of their friends and family.

 

Optus found the average Australian has 165 Facebook friends, while only 33 of those are considered close.

 

“Rather than feeling closer to their network, 45 per cent of people actually feel that social networking makes them feel less close to friends and family, with more than half (54 per cent) admitting they find it difficult to say the words they need to loved ones, in particular to our parents,” the research report found.

 

"In an age where we can communicate with more people than ever before, the research suggests we find it hard to stay as close to the people who matter most. Social media is a fantastic way of staying in touch. We just need to use it more to stay in touch with the people we care about the most - that is our close friends and family,” Gavin Williams, Head of Segment Marketing at Optus said.

 

 

“Rather than feeling closer to their network, 45 per cent of people actually feel that social networking makes them feel less close to friends and family, with more than half (54 per cent) admitting they find it difficult to say the words they need to loved ones, in particular to our parents,” the research report found.

 

"In an age where we can communicate with more people than ever before, the research suggests we find it hard to stay as close to the people who matter most. Social media is a fantastic way of staying in touch. We just need to use it more to stay in touch with the people we care about the most - that is our close friends and family,” Gavin Williams, Head of Segment Marketing at Optus said.