How is the Internet changing the way we communicate with our friends and families?

Answer 1

The Internet has vastly changed the way we communicate with friends and family. It has not only made things far faster and simpler but it has also created an entirely new vocabulary for most people (i.e. peeps, lol, rofl, etc.). From our use of the Internet, chat rooms, etc. we have created a new way of expressing ourselves and that includes with our friends and family. Also, sharing pictures and special moments on video is greatly improved with the use of the Internet and e-mail capabilities. The Internet is creating tighter-knit friends and families on the whole just by making it possible to communicate in a far more instant way.

Answer 2

The Internet has changed the way we communicate in the sense it has made communication easier and more available. My mother is 68 yrs old and like most people of this generation is not computer literate but sure loves getting those digital photos seconds after the request is made. My children chat frequently on-line which at times is a distraction more than anything but for them this is what they have grown up with. Conventional E-mail has become a become a necessity for most businesses to function efficiently. Without it we feel out of touch or somehow disconnected from the rest of the world. The phone has become second fiddle for the most part but with VoIP it appears it will simply be absorbed by the Internet. I enjoy the new technology and I cannot wait to see how this all plays out. The good news is it should not take very long.

Answer 3

The Internet has done many things for many people. It has made people billionaires, and has sent people to the poor house. It has made people instant Internet Celebrities, only to be forgotten within one second for another Celebrity. But with it's faults, it has it's positives as well. It has changed the way we receive and search for content, it has given people a voice, and it has changed the way people communicate.

No more are we having to wait for snail mail or that phone call from a family member or friend to contact them. Messages are sent and received simultaneously. Contact is relatively instant. I can communicate with my grandma who lives half way around the world in less than a few seconds, where before the Internet it would take weeks even months to get a message to her. It's as if I am having a face-to-face conversation with anyone of my friends or family, without ever being in the same room.

The Internet has changed everything about how the world communicates, and just as the song says, the Internet communication superhighway has made this world, "A small world after all."

Answer 4

I would always prefer to recieve a paper hand written letter. There is nothing better then getting a letter in the mail that is not a bill. Having said that I would say I communicate 95% more with family and freinds with the internet then if I didn't have the internet. The internet makes communicating with friends and family easy and fast. I still talk and/or see the people i would normally have seen before i got into using the internet. Meaning i don't see or talk to people less because of how quick and easy the internet is. Sharing pictures is also a major plus. With everyone being so busy you can drop an e-mail and not worry about missing them or interuping them. Just wait for a reply. I love it. I think the Internet has changed communication for the better. It has brought me closer to family members who live away and allows me to keep in touch alot easier.

Answer 5

The Internet has been both a blessing and a hindrance to the way we all communicate. On one hand it makes it easier to communicate, epically if the friend or family member lives far away. You can write an email and not worry about finding a mailbox, or finding enough to write about to fill up a page. You don't have to worry about long distance charges. But the Internet is not a personal medium. It is harder to tell what a person is feeling by reading a few words on a computer screen. There is something to be said about hearing a voice, or seeing someone. And while you can use a web cam, there is no denying it is not the same as face to face communication.

I think the Internet is a valuable tool and one that we will continue to use on a daily basis, but I think that we shouldn't rely on it 100% to communicate with the people we care about.

Answer 6

The Internet had both positive and negative effects on the way we communicate with our families and friends. Positive effects include; ease of communication through emails, instant messengers, voice over and web cams., and also the use of blogs and webspaces.This had reduced and almost cut off the strain imposed on communication by distance and money. The negative effects include; the inability to express our emotions physically, the unreliability of the machines (sometimes)The cost of communications(computer broken down due ot virus attacks or other means), Personally i believe the positive effects out weighs the negative effects. The Internet is the way of the future and we had better get on it. At homes, schools, libraries and even cafe kiosks; we now have a means of staying in touch with friends and families while on the go.Phones and pdas also have Internet access these days and we literarily have the best way of passing information to our loved ones without traffic worries, or financial restraints.At the rate we are moving, i can predict that in the not too distant future, Internet access would be on the streets just like our street lights and communication with friends, families and our entire world would be just right there for us all.

Answer 7

For youth today, all of their friends have internet so they are able to reach out and touch through the internet. For the older generation whose friends may or may not have internet it is more difficult to communicate quickly and directly. Internet can have the message sent and an answer received back all the same day( even seconds if you are both on the computer at the same time.) We are now able to communicate with someone on the other side of the world as if they were your next door neighbour. You could do it by phone too but that is more costly and requires that you both be available to send and receive the message. Answering machines will take a message but it is limited and not always easy to understand where on the internet, if you can read, you can get a clear message.

Answer 8

I think in some ways, it is greatly changing the landscape. Compared to the old days, we relied on snail mail. I remember communicating with my cousins by writing letters and waiting weeks if not months for a reply back. Of course, I could always give them a call, but back then when the phone was still a monopoly, it was quite expensive to dial long distance.

And then a decade ago, we relied on email. When I was overseas for a while, I communicated via email. And a few years ago, I started using ICQ, MSN and other chat instant messenger programs.

Now with Skype and Skype Out, it's amazing that I can place internet calls to someone's own regular phone and communicate that way, without paying for long distance. And of course, webcam and web conferencing is also another medium that is quite nice.

It's actually quite amazing that we have come so far so fast with technology that we can now be able to communicate via a variety of means: Wi-Fi, Skype, SMS, webcam, email, push, etc. The only problem now is that we can overdo this to the point where the other side isn't listening or receiving.

The very nice thing about web communication is that most times, we can communicate when we want, even if we aren't online at the time when the other is, and still be able to get the messages across in a somewhat timely manner, especially if we set up special filters in email or whatever to alert us when we do receive something from someone.

I'm very glad that technology has allowed me such a variety of ways to communicate. I've even set up a yahoo group amongst my family for the sake of communication.

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Answer 9

It has brought us closer together helping us keep more constant contact.

Way back when, keeping contact was extremely expensive. Calling long distance would cost allot of money as we did not have the plans we have today. Now I can communicate with my friends overseas on a daily basis using both Yahoo and MSN messengers. When they are not available I can send them a message through email, which takes only seconds to get to them rather than days or even weeks.

One thing I would like to add is the Internet has also changed the way we make friends. I have made friends in chat rooms with people all over the world that share the same interests with me. It helps those that would normally be loners to have friends that they normally would not make. People don't have to be alone anymore and that is great.

Answer 10

Hi Amber,

It really has not changed much in the way I communicate with close Friends and family. For some that I would have lost track of it has allowed me to keep touch as well as reconnect. Also I have made connections with some new virtual "friends."

With my children (I have seven) It made it a little easier to stay in touch while they were away at school and travelling.

I still use the phone a lot and never was much for letter writing. I can't get broadband where I live so I haven't tried VOIP although I think if that was available I would be able to make use of it a lot.

One thing I do appreciate is getting email photos of the Grandchildren and on-line photo processing.

John

Answer 11

Before the Internet was invented people had to either use the telephone or the postal service to get in touch with friends & family who were far away. While the telephone was practically instantaneous, written or typed letters took days, or sometimes weeks before you got an answer. So the Internet has sped up communication between people worldwide. Nowadays, you can send an Instant Message to someone on the other side of the world & receive a reply in seconds. Hope that answers your question.