Partner Article

Germans choose web over love

German twenty-somethings would ditch their spouses and do without a car in a heartbeat if they had to choose between having them or Internet access or a mobile phone, according to an industry study.

In a survey by German broadband association Bitkom around 84 percent of respondents aged 19-29 said they would rather do without their current partner or an automobile than forego their connection to the Web.

Living without a mobile phone was also unthinkable for 97 percent of those questioned in that age range.

Nevertheless, Bitkom president August-Wilhelm Scheer said on Monday in Hanover that did not mean that “the Web is an anonymous medium that leads to social indifference.”

“The Web creates real relationships and does not result in autism and dehumanization,” said Scheer, who admitted he gets nervous when he does not have Internet access while on vacation.

It wasn’t all bad, however, as around 8 percent of the survey’s respondents said they had found a new partner thanks to online relations.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .