Well now of course so much is being done online. I am a 25 year graduate student currently living in Mexico doing research for my thesis project. I have actively written for about 15 years and have just started to try to publish some of my work. Publishers are even less willing to look at unagented or unsolicited manuscripts, and the entry seems even more to be who you know rather than how great a query you can write.
Background is scientific and technical.
Have published genre fiction, nonfiction articles, and book reviews. Live with the obligatory writer's cats. The major impact that I've witnessed is in the speed of communication between document submission, editing, and acceptance. Father of Six, Grandfather of One, Creative Writer, Technical Writer, ExCop, Curmudgeon, and pursuer of truth, honesty, and an empty bathroom. The advent of electronic publications has made it possible for an author to become published easier and faster.