>> I think how exciting it must be for people deeply involved with hobbies or special interests to be able to find other people from all over the place with whom to share the same enthusiasm.
I think this aspect - the ability to connect with other PEOPLE - is what makes the internet so powerful and fascinating. And we might contrast this type of interest in the internet with the interest in it as an "information superhighway." While information surely is a wonderful thing, seeing the internet as a SOCIAL environment is much more captivating for people than seeing it as a giant encyclopedia or catalog.