I agree with all of you that the internet and more specifically Web 2.0 as such is having a positive impact on people’s lives. Amazon has always been ahead of all the other dotcoms and yes I can see the benefits too.
Also I think blogging has opened the door to sharing views and opinions openly even at the corporate level (intranet). In my organization, we have thought leadership publish their own blogs which gets heavily commented on, and thereby reaching the the intended audience.