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Internet Communication

The face of literacy is changing. In 1955, being literate meant being able to read and write well enough to do such things as read a newspaper and write letters. In the year 2005, however, many more demands are made on reading and writing skills. In addition to being able to read such things as magazines and books and being able to write letters or other short written communication, the majority of people now communicate extensively using computers in the form of email, news groups, instant messaging, mailing list, weblogs, and web pages. These methods, all of which rely heavily on writing, have put more emphasis on written communication than ever before.

The Smart Library on Literacy and Technology notes that literacy instruction has already begun to reflect emphasis on the computer in both reading and writing. In fact, computer technology has changed not only how we write but how we talk and teach about writing. Jack Pillemer (1997) first developed a technique to use email to teach written expression, first in tutoring sessions and then in the classroom. Then he created a Web site to share the techniques he had developed. The design of his Web site affected how he wrote the content, which was organized based on web design rather than traditional essay or research paper format. Nonetheless it is informative, and demonstrates the changes occurring in writing because of computers.

The Internet's resources are so vast that individuals have formed informal associations known as newsgroups (3) so that people with common interests can find each other more easily. In the past these groups would have been clubs and people would have met face-to-face, but on the Internet this communication is done with writing. The Internet has the capacity to bring people together who otherwise would never have found each other. Mailing lists are similar to newsgroups: individuals who have agreed to communicate with each other using email, sometimes based on a common interest and sometimes for casual conversation.

While emails might be more like old-fashioned letter writing, instant messages are more like the conversation a person might have after bumping into a friend on the street. Instant messages (often called "IM's") are literally instant communication between two people who happen to be online at the same time. They occur in real time. They put more pressure on a person's ability to write and spell adequately because it is difficult to use tools such as spell-checkers with them. Email and IM's have changed the face of warfare in one significant way: soldiers in Iraq have at least occasional access to computers, and the ability to email and sometimes IM loved ones at home (4).