New communications technologies transform the world we live in. Entirely new and undreamed-of activities become possible. Instant communication has given us the power to circumvent old rules and make new ones about who can say what to whom, and where and how they can say it.
Within a decade, the telegraph quickened the tempo of everyday life. Telegraph operators, no longer separated by time and distance, created the first online culture. Today, the Internet is revolutionizing our lives. Anyone, anywhere, can be an Internet "operator" and participate in virtual communities of far-flung individuals united through the Net by common interests.
