ABSTRACT
At the close of the 20th century, the Internet, and particularly the World Wide Web, has proven to be the most sophisticated communications network our civilization has ever known. Through its ease of use and low cost, the Web has become very effective at selling and distributing all kinds of things from stuffed toys to stocks to delivering pornography to anyone who cares to search for it. The Internet is also a provider of electronic mail, discussion forums, chat rooms and listserves, connecting people in ways they never thought or wanted to be possible. The Web is fast becoming as commonplace as the telephone, the radio and the television, and is well positioned to become the dominant means for individuals, companies and other organizations to distribute and exchange information.
