Social Networking Making Us Lose Our Joker Talents

A new survey has revealed that technology has killed off the art of joke telling. Emails, social networking sites and internet video clips have replaced the time-honoured tradition where schoolchildren, work colleagues or friends would ask each other 'have you heard the one about,' the survey said.

High-tech humour has taken over to such an extent that one in three adults does not know a single gag, while 18 per cent know only one.

And nearly half said they would like to be able to tell more jokes but can never remember the punchline, revealed the poll of 2,000 people by Costa Coffee to launch the Costa Light Comedy Challenge.

"Brits are famed for their sense of humour and it's a great loss to our culture that so many of us can't tell a good joke," the Daily Mail quoted Comedian Paul Tonkinson as saying.

The study found 13 per cent of the respondents prefer to share funny anecdotes via email and one in twenty likes to tell jokes via social networking sites.

One quarter said funny clips on the Internet are more likely to amuse them than old-fashioned jokes.

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Researchers also found 20 per cent believe it is easier to text or email a joke as it 'prevents you looking stupid if you get it wrong'.

And over 20 per cent prefer their friend' updates on Facebook and Twitter to being told a joke in person.

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Source-ANI