A new study from USC's Annenberg School finds that an estimated 43 percent find membership in online communities just as important as real-world social ties.

The findings seem to be in accordance with the ease of meeting new friends online - and reflecting the web's growing importance for social purposes, reports CNET. Those polled met an average of 1.6 new friends per year in real-world settings after originally meeting online and made an average of 4.65 friends who remained virtual pals only. Further, more than 40 percent of internet users said that the web helps them stay in touch with more friends and family.

The study highlighted a boom in social activities online. For example, since 2003, the number of U.S. bloggers has doubled to 7.4 percent of all internet users; the number of people who post photos has also doubled, to 23.6 percent of all internet users.

The study's findings are in contrast to those of a recent Duke University study pointing to Americans' leading more isolated, lonelier lives, as reported by Seoul-based OhmyNews.com in June.