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To all those who feared that technology pulls people apart, a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project on the American family reveals the opposite is true: today's families are more connected than ever. However, this always-on interaction with technology has a darker side too...one which leads to higher stress and less satisfaction with both family and leisure time. In reviewing the data, we discover that technology is really both a blessing and a curse.

Online study group community Cramster announced today that the company has raised a $3 million investment and after checking out the site, we can see why. This active, full featured and well design service looks really compelling for students and has a solid business model.

Members can participate in forums about homework, get quick answers to questions 24 hours a day and access explanations of problems from more than 200 of the most popular text books in 7 subject areas. There are free and paid membership levels at $10 per month and users deemed helpful by others can receive financial rewards like gift certificates.

Half of U.S. adults use social media. That is, they do according to the latest findings from Universal McCann's "Media in Mind" study, an ongoing research effort that analyzes how consumers relate to media and products in their daily life. However, it's worth noting that in this particular study "social media" includes text messaging. Combined with blogging and social networking, these three technologies are used by 50% of U.S. adults for communication purposes.

A Pew study of US newspapers released today finds that national and international news coverage is declining as ad revenue plummets an emphasis shifts toward local stories. While those survey results may not seem so bad, newspaper editors also report that the biggest customer protests are being seen in response to cuts to crossword puzzles and TV listings - not decreasing news quantity or quality.

Talk about a knee-jerk reaction. Yesterday, news broke out in Scotland about how the internet was to blame for Scotland's failing exam pass rates. According to the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC), Wikipedia, among other sources, was cited as the reason as to why the students were failing. Is this a case of the internet making us stupid? Or do students just need to learn how to use the new research tools of the web a little more appropriately?

A new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project reveals that 46% of Americans have used the Internet, email, or text messaging to get or share election information this year. 35% have watched online political videos -- triple the number that watched video online in 2004, while 39%, according to the study, have turned to the web for "unfiltered" campaign information, such as raw video or transcripts of speeches and debates. But Americans aren't convinced that all this social media business is a good thing for politics.