How internet communication have changed and impacted the ways in which we relate to world and ourselves and access knowledge?

Oh Internet, where would we be without you? We certainly wouldn't be instant messaging someone we met at Machu Picchu six years ago. Or trawling through an album of a girl we went to primary school with entitled 'OMG! It's a Boy!' We wouldn't be able to craft a sentence using only emojis, or replace IRL laughs with a message thread of LOL's. Before the Internet, literally only meant in the 'literal manner or sense' and not also 'used for emphasis while not being literally true'. And there was no such thing as 'unfriending' someone.

We no longer require homes, bars, offices or cafes to keep in touch with people. We can do itliterally anywhere we happen to be. This begs the question: when we connect to our devices, are we disconnecting from the people around us? Are we hiding behind a screen from the physical world and becoming antisocial in turn? While there is a sense of panic about how the Internet is detrimental to communication, there are also lots of people who believe that it is actually enhancing our relationships. For better or worse, here are a few of the ways the Internet is changing the way we communicate, and how you can keep abreast of tech advances thanks to eBay:

Online Relationships

Tinder popularized online dating among the youthz. The dating-hookup hybrid made online dating cool -– it removed the stigma of forever-alones sitting at home crafting profiles about their love of long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners..

Outside of Tinder, online dating has skyrocketed on platforms like RSVP and OKCupid. Once the playground of the desperate and the dateless, dating online is as commonplace as meeting someone at a bar these days.

Everyone is an expert

The blogger vs. journalist debate has reached fever pitch lately. While bloggers are seen by their readership as an authentic channel of communication, their credibility and expertise are often called into question by those who have taken a more traditional route to get where they are. 

Social Media

Social media has enabled us to communicate with a much greater number of people on a global scale that used to only be viable on a local level (outside of pen pals, amirite?) While this is great when it comes to keeping friendships alive over great distances, it also increases the demands on people to keep a much larger number of relationships going simultaneously. Do you really have 1,500 friends?

Social media is a great tool when it supplements IRL relationships. But if you find yourself trawling Facebook or scrolling through Instagram while you're at a dinner party or hanging out with your significant other, it may be time to reconsider your relationship with the Internet.

BY- BIYONKA JAMES