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Did you know that less than half of all African-American households have broadband access to the Internet, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project?

 As one of a small number of African-American baby boomers who is active online, I have to say the internet has opened doors that might have, otherwise, been closed to me.  It has connected me with people I would've probably never met in my lifetime.  It has allowed me to gain access to a wealth of information on a wide variety of subjects.

As a journalist I do see some shakiness in that bridge.  It's called information overload.  So much information is being poured into cyberspace and if you're not careful, you'll be hoodwinked and bamboozled into believing many things that are simply not true.  As with everything else in life, one should use the internet in moderation and when you find something that sounds questionable, do some research to try to get to the real answer.

As far as people connections--they, too, can be unsettling because the internet gives us a shield of protection so we can present ourselves in any manner we choose.  There are others who burn their bridges and they can't be repaired.

The internet has unlimited potential for each one of us.  It's how we use it that determines how far across the bridge we will be able to go.