The internet has allowed something major to happen when it comes to making connections... with people, places, and many other things. Communication is instant, people are more likely to keep in touch through IM or email because it's there, it's easy and it's free or next to free to keep up with as opposed to snail mail that requires stamps (which keep raising in price) and envelops and ::gasp:: perhaps even hand written letters! The web has opened up a whole new world now and there is really no going back. It's changed communication and in turn changed the way people, everywhere, interact with each other on a daily basis.
Now I can email my mom in the middle of the night when I think of something I forgot to tell her. I can keep in touch with my best friend hours away when phone calls get expensive. I can work from my room and still get a monthly paycheck (which, by the way, comes in an online form too), and I can access any amount of knowledge I want thanks to the wonders of websites and google.com.
But what I really love about the net is the ability for online communities to come together. To thrive and grow without any outside interferance really. The topic or cause that brings them together can be anything. The reasons can be multiple. It doesn't really matter, the point is people come together. They learn from each other AND about each other. They exchange knowledge just as quickly as anything else and it's an amazing resource. You can meet people from across town or across the world, culture expands and in turn so does everyone else. Understanding becomes more common because online you are not segregated by anything silly like race, gender, or age. Online communities form out of need, out of want, or just out of nowhere and that is the beauty of it. Where can it go from here? Oh so many places. This site alone starts to look at some of these issues. I look forward to seeing its outcome because, just like any other community, this one has begun, and just like any other, who knows where we might all end up. :)
Posted by Meg6212 at February 11, 2003 03:42 AM | TrackBack