As in life and CB radio not all those chatters have something interesting
to say, but some do, and many people have developed lasting friendships
through IRC. Even marriages have resulted from relationships first forged
on IRC. In fact, some people have become so addicted to chatting on the
Internet that there's a Usenet newsgroup entitled alt.irc.recovery.
The value of IRC depends on how you use it. IRC can keep you company
when you can't sleep, contribute to family togetherness and cut your
phone bill. It also can expose you to unpleasant behavior. Chats can
get wild and woolly, and anyone (male or female) who takes on a female
persona is likely o be hit on. There is indeed a great deal of sextalk,
sleaze and garbage on IRC, and one should exercise caution in allowing
children to access the IRC without supervision. But, as an adult, you
are free to visit only the channels you choose, and there is also a
great deal of positive communication going on.
IRC gained international fame during the Gulf War in 1991, where updates
from around the world came across the wire, and most irc users who were
online at the time gathered on a single channel to hear these reports.
IRC had similar uses during the coup against Boris Yeltsin in September
1993, where IRC users from Moscow were giving live reports about the
unstable situation there.
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