Dating

• The Internet has altered the way people date, through websites dedicated solely to the dating process and social networking sites such as Facebook. Dating websites allow you to create a profile about yourself for all interested parties to see. Those who find themselves attracted to you can respond to your profile. Social networking sites allow people to get an inside scoop on what you're about before you even spend quality time with them. For example, if you meet a girl at a party, you can then visit her Facebook page to get a sense of her interests, her friends, her hobbies and more. In short, dating sites and social networking sites allow people an inside look into your private life, whether you're dating them or not.
  
  

The Bully

• The Internet can create positive social interacting experiences, but it can also create negative -- and in some cases -- deadly interactions as well. Megan Meier of O'Fallon, Missouri, committed suicide at the age of 13 after interacting with who she thought was a boy named Josh Evans. However, "Josh" was actually an older woman by the name of Lori Drew. The two began exchanging messages on Myspace and never met in public. When the messages from "Josh" became insulting, Megan opted to take her own life by hanging herself. Megan is one of many cyberbullying victims and an example that -- when you're talking to someone online -- they may not be who they claim to be.
  
  

Personal Revelations

• A survey conducted by Pew involving 895 Internet experts revealed the Internet can lead to people "coming out of the closet" about subjects they might have stayed quiet about before. Steve Jones -- one of the experts interviewed by Pew -- claims social networking sites such as Facebook allow people to join groups that portray a certain point of view, and this will force their friends to form an opinion about that point of view. This can have an impact -- be it positive or negative -- on friendships. For example, if your friend claims to have no opinion about politics, but then joins a Republican group or forum online, the relationship you have with her in real life -- offline -- may be altered. In short, the more you know about a person, the more your views change about that person, and the Internet allows everyone to voice their opinions about any topic imaginable.
  
  

Children

• Depending on your age, you may have grown up during a time when the world always had the Internet, and have become accustomed to interacting with your peers online. A study conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation in 2010 states that kids between the ages of eight and 18 "spend more than seven and a half hours a day" with media devices -- such as cellphones and computers -- both of which can connect online. Dr. Michael Rich -- a Children's Hospital pediatrician in Boston -- states that media devices, including those that contain Internet access, have become part of a child's environment. Using Internet features -- such as Skype, Facebook and instant messaging -- has become a daily ritual for the younger generation.