The Internet as Therapy?

I am a member of an Internet discussion group/mailing list which likes to solve the problems of the world, philosophy and the meaning of life. (The group is called MOLES - the Meaning Of Life and Everything Society). Usually we are arguing about things like "what is consciousness"; "Is there a God" and similar problems guaranteed to provide more opinions than there are members. Occasionally, some thing different pops up. Today, someone whose relationship had just broken up, and painfully, decided to post his anguish to the group, and asked for advice. We are putting some thoughts down, hopefully he will find some help there. He says that because we seem like intelligent people, we might be able to help. But of course, the ability to argue philosophically or logically about topics we like does not mean we have a clue about how to have a good relationship! But we can reach out anyway.

This is the thing I find amazing - people communicating with strangers, people they have never met, except through the words written on a screen. From all over the world. Almost instantaneously. There is definitely something different about this communication network. We connect in more ways than the obvious.