A new revolution

The internet is changing the way people communicate. Well I didn't mean it so cliché. When two people met, they used to exchange their phone numbers -granted if they liked each other enough. Internet search engines, especially google, initiated the demise of this exchange. If you left without phone number, you could hope to find some information on that person by googling him / her -providing you have both names. But now, with the likes of myspace, asmallworld etc... exchanging phone numbers has become a reminiscence of the past. "Let's check eachother on myspace, what's your login name" is what people now say in parties throughout Europe. And it works. It's disinhibating in many ways. First, the fact that both people are aware of this mode of communication is a common ground, and usually a good start. Second, the absence of direct real time contact and absence of voice makes it much easier to approach the other person. Second, unlike the phone, this is a two step approach. A first invitation, which is considered as neutral, especially since many users focus on having the most virtual friends. If accepted, the other person sends a signal that shows mutual interest. May the virtual exchanges begin.