Cute little blurb on the Smart Mobs blog about people using the Internet instead of having a romantic partner — for a while:

Smart Mobs » So, are you and the Internet a thing?
A new poll shows that nearly 1 in 4 Americans say the Internet could be a stand-in for a significant other for a period of time. Among singles, the percentage was even higher: 31 percent. [via News.com]

The poll examined people’s attitudes about the Internet. Results of the online survey, conducted by Zogby International and 463 Communications, were released Wednesday.

The survey also found that there are people willing to have a device implanted in their brain–safely, of course–so they’d have ready access to the Internet. About 11 percent of respondents said so.

Hrm. I suppose before the internet, if you were taking a break from dating, or recovering from heartbreak, or not interested in anyone at the moment, or not in the mood to go do things that put you in the way of cute people of the sexes and genders that attract you, you filled your time in other ways. Reading, maybe. Knitting. Sports. Television. A hobby or extra job or family and friends and so on.

Now, we have the internet as an option, with all the information, learning, social interaction, porn, entertainment, and so on and so forth … seems to me a perfectly respectable thing to spend time with. And it also seems like a good idea to me to not be pursuing a romantic relationship if you’re happier without one, for a temporary period or for always.

So. Hooray for you, 31 percent of singles who are happy to play online when you’re on hiatus.

I’m not in the mood to talk about the 25 percent of non-singles who said the same thing as I am sneak-blogging from a client meeting and this topic is bigger than the singles bit. [Especially when we don't know if they mean "use the internet to communicate with partners when can't be together (i.e., traveling, military deployment)" or if they mean "I need a break from my partners for a while so I'm just gonna play WoW."]