Ah, the Internet, a place where endless possibilities abound, where everyone is free to do just about anything they want without fear of any repercussions.

Or is it?

While the Internet is an amazing tool that allows people to perform many day-to-day transactions and interactions from the comfort of home, it may very well come at a steep price.

Last fall we heard about the case of a Missouri teenager who killed herself after being abused through MySpace, allegedly by the mother of a former friend. Missouri law enforcement officials did not file charges.

I like Facebook a lot. I keep up with my friends all over the world, and the ones who live a couple blocks away. It’s quicker and often more frequently checked than e-mail.

Most American high schools students, and all Uni students, use the Internet to communicate with others. Whether it be e-mail, IM, MySpace, or Facebook, communication through the Internet is completely familiar for us.

But indirect communication doesn’t stop at the computer, for there are all sorts of cell phone phenomena that allow us to talk with each other without speaking out loud.

Like many teenage girls, I love shopping.

Several years ago, people were hooked on television. Remember all those studies linking TV viewing to bad grades and attitudes back long long ago? Or how parents used to say that watching too much television hurts your eyes? Those times seem so far away now that the era of speedy computers and wireless networks have arrived.

This morning I woke up to a flashing new text message. My friend was in trouble. And by trouble I don't mean injured in any way — though she might've preferred that. No, instead her parents were absolutely livid.