online communication increasing in popularity

This should come as no great surprise:

New channels of communication, especially online activities such as e-mail and instant messaging, are driving an anytime, anywhere media attitude in Canada.

According to a recent Ipsos-Reid online poll conducted for MSN Canada, Canadians connect, on average, with about 23 different people every day. ...

83 per cent of respondents said they feel communicating online has an overall positive effect on their life. Almost half (49 per cent) believe using the Internet to communicate has allowed them to be more outwardly social, while 45 per cent say it has helped them locate long-lost friends, and 39 per cent say it lets them act more like themselves, the survey found.

Rest of article here.