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If you’ve never heard the term before, Ann Mack, director of trend spotting for JWT (the largest advertising agency in the U.S.), uses the term “digitivity denizens” to describe those of us who straddle two worlds, the real world and the digital one.

According to a report by Reuters, the agency surveyed more than 1000 Americans to find out how technology was changing their lives and behavior. We’ve come a long way, baby. Only a fifth of the respondents said they felt comfortable remaining offline for a week...

When the agency asked respondents which they would have the hardest time doing without, the internet trumped cell phones and telephones. "This is how they communicate, entertain and live," says Mack.

Among the survey’s significant findings: the internet is also changing not only the nature of our friendships but the nature of our sex lives. More than a quarter of those who responded admitted to spending less time face-to-face with friends because of their online involvements. A fifth said they had spent less time for sex because of time spent on the web.

The study didn’t assess whether digital connectivity enhances or detracts from the real-world relationships of these denizens, some of whom may be my friends and yours, or whether there are gender differences in the ways we use the internet to socialize.