Unit 9. Communicating online. Computers have transformed the way people communicate. In some ways, this transformation is good. But in other ways, it could be harmful. Statistics show that millions of people use the Internet every day. People shop online, play games, and search for information. Studies also show that people use the Internet mainly for communication. The Internet has made communication fast and convenient. E-mail can travel anywhere within seconds. Chat rooms include people from all over the world. People can even make Internet telephone calls. However, this type of communication is very different from what people did in the past. People spend less time talking face-to-face. They might chat for days without being in the same room with a real person. They also might communicate with many people at the same time. Some researchers think this is unhealthy. One study on Internet use found that people who used the Internet a lot were lonely. Also, they did not communicate as much with members of their family. Many people have criticized this study. They say it did not include enough people and that loneliness is hard to measure. In my opinion, all types of communication are good. It is great to e-mail someone and get a fast response. It is also nice to talk face-to-face. We can do both. The Internet is a fantastic tool. We should use it wisely to benefit from it.