Pew: Adults mostly kind on social media

The overwhelming majority of adults say their experiences on social media sites have been mostly kind, according to a new survey from Pew's Internet and American Life Project.

Eighty-five percent of adults that use social networking sites said people are mostly kind on them, while 5 percent said users are mostly unkind. Another 5 percent said their answer depends on the situation. More than two-thirds had an experience that made them feel good about themselves.

However, almost half of respondents (49 percent) said they have seen mean or cruel behavior on the sites by others at least occasionally. Fifteen percent said they had ended a friendship with someone over an online experience, while 12 percent had experiences that resulted in face-to-face arguments.

Eleven percent of adult users said an experience on social networking sites caused a problem with their family. Three percent said the social media had gotten them into a physical fight with someone, while another 3 percent had gotten into trouble at work because of something that happened online.