Students are able to discuss issues with other students from around the world in their tutorial group or with their tutor. Even full university degrees are available through online study. In these examples there is actually MORE opportunity to interact with the guest speaker than there is if you are actually there. The Internet has provided the means to form very large communities of like-minded people. The increasing information base of these communities, and the much larger number of supporters available, lends itself to lobbying for change and political activism.
Power comes with information and numbers.
The Internet has provided a capability for individuals to seek and publish information. Professionals can meet this challenge to become collaborators and guides in health care with their clients, or fall short of their duty in an information-rich age. The lactation communities, which have formed on the Internet, have enhanced our understanding of lactation issues and expanded the information base of the participants. Their strength lies in their ability to provide a link for a geographically dispersed community. The Internet is indeed a powerful tool and one which the lactation community has embraced for all of its advantages social, educational, support, research and activism.