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Article: Virtual buddies: using computer-mediated communication in therapeutic recreation.
- Article from:
- Parks & Recreation
- Article date:
- March 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 National Recreation and Park Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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People are increasingly using computers and the Internet for recreation and work. According to a 2000 United States Census Bureau report, 51 percent of homes had a computer and 41.5 percent had Internet access; the comparable figures in 1997 were 36.6 percent and 18 percent, respectively. The Internet allows individuals to talk to others they have never met face to face and, in some cases, to communicate with them on a personal level. While some may argue against the impersonal nature of computer-mediated communication, it has opened doors for many people vocationally, recreationally and socially. As computer-mediated communication becomes more commonplace, persons with ...