The internet really is an amazing tool, especially for how young it is. I mean, really, could anyone have imagined the "social network" before 5 to 10 years ago? There's no way, yet it has completely changed the way people go about their daily lives.

One thing that always impressed me was the ability to stay in contact with people who move on. After high school, many of my friends went south to Bloomington, north to the university of Michigan or west to… well.. to anywhere but northern Indiana. I even had one friend who had to move northeast to Boston.

Once upon a time these friendships would only be maintained through an occasional phone call and perhaps getting together for the holidays, but now, I can hang out with those friends like they are sitting with me in my own livingroom. I literally can get together with the original high school crew right on my XBox 360 and all hang out and play games, watch movies or just talk.

I can jump on my computer and maintain contact with them through Facebook or other social networks, seeing what they've had going on and exchanging normal daily banter. The results? Continued maintenance of strong personal relationships with the group of friends I established through 4 years of highschool.

The downside? Everyone is involved in one-anothers lives on a constant basis, and detaching or stepping away becomes difficult because people always know what is going on. Drama spreads like wildfire and permeates quickly through all the wrong, panic prone channels. 

How has the internet changed your life? Is it for the better or for the worse?