London, Sept 17 : Social networking sites are the biggest drawers, when it comes to Internet searches, dethroning online pornography, according to a new survey, which has provided an up-to-date view of how society is changing.

To reach the conclusion, Bill Tancer, a self-confessed ''data geek'', analysed the search habits of more than 10 million web users.

"There are some patterns to our internet use that we tend to repeat very specifically and predictably, from diet searches to prom dresses to what we do around the holidays," Telegraph quoted Tancer, as saying.

The research shows that elbows, belly button fluff and ceiling fans rank among the things people fear most, as do social intimacy and worries about rejection.

He said: “As social networking traffic has increased, visits to porn sites have decreased.”

A decade ago, porn-related searches accounted for 20 per cent of all internet searches made, he noted. They now account for about 10 per cent, said Tancer, who also found that web users aged between 18 and 24 were searching for less porn. (ANI)