The Internet, or the information superhighway as it is often called, is democracy in its purest form. No single entity or organization owns it. It is a global series of interconnected computer-based networks that receive and transmit information amongst each other using the Internet Protocol, the worldwide-accepted standard of communication in the information superhighway.

The global network is so large that the World Wide Web is just one of its many services. As of the December 30, 2007, 1.319 billion individuals use the information superhighway.

It has caused an unprecedented revolution in how the world communicates, letting individuals from all regions of the planet to interact and communicate. Certainly, it has changed society as we know it.

Without the need for phones or the traditional forms of mail, you can instantly communicate with family, friends and virtual strangers! With a few clicks on the mouse, sending a message via email is fast and easy. There are also email groups where you can send messages to a group. You can chat with friends through instant messaging programs and online chatrooms. VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) lets one make phone calls via the Internet. Audio and video conferencing is also made possible so that businessmen, associates and friends from practically any part of the world can communicate simultaneously.

Meanwhile, discussion boards and forums – typically groups who share something similar — allow a vast number of people to start dialogues, post questions and receive answers. Electronic journals, magazines, newspapers and newsletters also allow for easy updating and communication to members and customers of a company or organization.

A recent innovation on the Internet are social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, Twitter. They allow one to keep in touch with and gain more friends, share files, photos and videos. There are also networking sites for more specific reasons – Sermo is for medical purposes, being an online community for American physicians; LinkedIn is a network of professionals. There are also sites for particular cultures and races.

The advent of blogging has also created communities. There is now an extensive network of bloggers who link to each other and share opinions on a variety of topics, from politics, to movies, to music. Their opinions have changed the way companies communicate to and treat their customers.

The Internet’s top search engines — Google, Yahoo, AOL and MSN — facilitate the search for information, making the Internet a powerful resource tool. With it users can:

• Seek for educational resources – examples include important, archived documents and pictures, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) guides, and literally an uncountable number of research information.
• Get homework resources and outsource education – before, students have to go to libraries and sift through dusty tomes to access information; they had to physically travel to the educational centers’ location and hope they can find the books they needed. Now, a few key words typed into the fields of search engines like Yahoo, Google, MSN, or AOL, can present one with almost unlimited lists of resources on the sought after subject matter.

With the limitless amount of information various users and organizations around the world offer to each other via the Internet and with search engines facilitating the information flow, the Internet connects people, cultures, and the information they offer on an unimagined and unparalleled scale.