Online communication: Is it influencing our relationships?

Communication methods have changed over the 21st century.  In the previous century, people would send letters, place telephone calls on land lines, or talk to each other in person.  While these methods are still used today, the internet has changed the manner and the speed in which individuals communicate with one another.  For example, most Canadian families and individual’s have a personalized computer and access to the internet (Gross, 2004; Valkenburg & Peter, 2007).  When the internet first became popular, people would send e-mails as their main form of communication. Presently, however, the internet has become the status quo in all social settings; with emailing, instant messaging, and online networking sites (e.g., Facebook) being used as standard modes of communication.