A new Pew Internet report out today shows that the things we post on social networking sites (SNS) is creating some tension in our social lives:
  

49% of SNS-using adults said they have seen mean or cruel behavior displayed by others at least occasionally. And 26% said they had experienced at least one of the bad outcomes that were queried in the survey. Those bad outcomes were:

o   15% of adult SNS users said they had an experience on the site that ended their friendship with someone.

o   12% of adult SNS users had an experience that resulted in a face-to-face argument or confrontation with someone.

o   11% of adult SNS users had an experience on the site that caused a problem with their family.

o   3% of SNS-using adults said they had gotten into a physical fight with someone based on an experience they had on the site.

o   3% of adult SNS users said their use of the site had gotten them in trouble at work because of something that happened on the site.

Pew wants to make clear – these are adults we’re talking about. Pew released similar research on teens last November – their work shows that more adults have a positive experience than teens, and a lot fewer adults say they have problems as a result of their use of social networks.