Social network users have twice as many 'virtual friends' than in real life

Research suggests that most people have only half the friends in real life than the number they amass on social networking sites.

The study conducted by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust found that many with disabilities find the web as a lifeline to other sufferers.

But it is no mystery that Facebook, for example, often consolidates friendships from years gone by, where many of those friendships have long stagnated or become seemingly worthless.

As strange as it may be, and granted even in writing it sounds fairly odd, but I have, along with many others no doubt, have friends I found online.

Growing up in a small village in the north of England, the ideals of MySpace and the shining light that was back then MSN Messenger, it was a surprisingly carefree time a decade ago to find grungy teenagers of the same age to discuss music tastes and "why parents are so crap".

Some of them stuck, some of them faded away as do many friendships. But considering half of my colleagues I have not yet met in three years goes without saying. that in the modern world of branch offices and international companies, many will build up friendships with those they have never met.

The claim that most social network users have on average 150 friends was not far off from a few months ago, with this research claiming it is around 120.

But having too many unaccountable friends on Facebook can cause problems. The larger the social network, the more chance there is that you cannot wholly guarantee who they necessarily say they are.

Considering the authorities are more focused on who you know, rather than what you know, being connected to a person under watch by the authorities could land you in hot water.