Fresh research into the private lives of social media users has confirmed the widely held suspicion that connections are substantially inflated from the actual volume of friends they have in the offline world.

It found that whilst the average patron o a social networking site such as Facebook can boast 121 separate connections, the reality is that the individual is likely only to have 55 physical friends.

Intriguingly however the same survey found that people were more open to their virtual friends, with one in ten respondents stating that they had either met their best friend online or were expecting to make lifelong friends via the medium.

The evolving nature of social contacts was reflected in the diminished appeal of exchanging lengthy phone numbers with fresh acquaintances, far more people now simply ask for a full name or email address to connect later via a social network.

The research was commissioned by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust which states that the internet can act as a “lifeline” for people isolated by illness.

Helen Oxley, consultant clinical psychologist at Manchester Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Wythenshawe hospital said: "In wider society, the ways in which friendships are formed and nurtured is changing with people recognising that they can develop deep, meaningful connections with others that they've never met, and may never meet.”