The internet serves as a means of staying in touch with people who are far away. Since I’ve left home for college, I have been able to easily stay in touch with my friends from high school and my family back at home. My parents have told me stories about how while they were in college, there weren’t even telephones in individual dorm rooms, so virtually all communication with people from home took place using snail mail. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to keep in touch without using the internet.

      With e-mail, I can type a message to a friend or a select group of friends that I can send without even leaving the comfort of my chair. My message will be sent instantaneously to my friends, and they will be able to reply as soon as they want at a time that is convenient for them. Using e-mail, I can also send pictures or other files to my friends and family members, which makes it easier for them to understand what I’m up to and it makes them feel more involved with my life.

      Instant messenger programs have the same benefits as e-mail, plus the added benefit of being instant. There are many instant messenger programs out there, but my favorite (and the most popular among my friends) is AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). With this program, which is free to anyone with an internet connection, I can have individual instant conversations with more than one friend at a time, or I can join a chat room so that I can have a single conversation with more than one person at a time. I can even connect to have a voice conversation using a microphone.