From the espresso era to the internet era - High school students and on-line chat

The article addresses the broad social implications of the internet technological revolution, and its manifestations among high school students drawing attention to the contradictory conclusions reached by various researchers. The paper reports findings from a field study among 60 Israeli high school students aged 12-18. Conclusions indicate that the net expands and enhances new social relationships which fulfill important social, emotional, and intellectual functions in adolescents' lives. The study findings further indicate that gender and age are important moderators of net chat. Findings of this case study are consistent with the conclusions advanced by the late Marshall McLuhan, and the conceptualization of the communication technology as a new social essence.