Is it better to Twitter, or should you look to Facebook to improve IQ?

With ever increasing demands on time, people are opting for the social efficiencies of networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. But how does all this virtual socialising affect our brain?

Dr Tracy Alloway of Scotland's University of Stirling has performed a variety of studies into neural pathways. She specialises in the study of so-called "working memory". In a recent interview with the UK's Daily Telegraph she pondered about the implications of sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

"On Twitter you receive an endless stream of information, but it's also very succinct," Dr Alloway said. "You don't have to process that information. Your attention span is being reduced and you're not engaging your brain and improving nerve connections." Without stimulation it is believed that the brain, like a muscle, can atrophy.

However when it came to the social interaction of online computer games Dr Alloway was more positive. "I'm not saying they're good for your socialisation skills, but they do make you use your working memory," she said. "You're keeping track of past actions and mapping the actions you're going to take."

The concept of online social networking has reached epic proportions with more than 250 million Facebook users worldwide. While Twitter is the more recent phenomenon, it's takeup rate is astounding, growing its user base by more than 1300% in February alone.

Security concerns meanwhile seem to have gone out the window. While most people wouldn't let a stranger into their home, they are prepared to share their most intimate moments with the whole world via Twitter, without giving themselves time or space to consider the implications.

Bruce Mills, CEO of the international recruiting and consulting business 3W, believes that any socialising is good for the new generation of computer geeks. "Let's face it. We don't get out much," he said.

Mills points to research highlighting the positive social aspects of Facebook, which seem to aid working memory and the processing of interpersonal information. Unlike Twitter, Facebook requires considerable effort to interact successfully with other members.

"Our generation spends all day in front of the PC. We eat, sleep and breathe technology. It seems appropriate then that we would feel most comfortable interacting with others through our computer terminal."

"Technology hasn't replaced traditional relationships," he said. "It has made them more convenient. Sure we still love to catch up over coffee. It's just that you and I can now be enjoying our coffee on opposite sides of the world."