We seek to communicate in a world where communication is both easy and hard, where it is often times easier to talk to those whom we don’t know rather than to the people closest to us.  Why? Because in the forum of electronic and anonymous communication we can feel safe in revealing our thoughts, feelings and emotions. We can express ourselves in a faceless way hiding behind our masks but still able to be heard and respected.

As a scholar, I find this a fascinating new genre for communication. I feel there are inherent dangers in the cyber world. Not just the ones we read about each day: the stalkers, the villains that want to steal from us or the predators seeking out their new prey. The facelessness of cyber space leaves us connected yet disconnected. We share but not in a way that is always tangible.

However, through this venue of electronic connections, the world is changing. The face of society is changing and with it we are changing. We must always remember that there is nothing that can take away from the warm hug or hardy handshake of a friend or stranger. The face-to-face conversations that keep us in contact, not only with those we see every day but also in touch with ourselves. So we enjoy the blogs, the IM, the Face book, MySpace, and Twitters always remembering that it is the people closest to us that we inspire everyday and who also inspire us.