Howard Rheingold's Virtual Community

"Social relationships that go beyond the functional use of technology".
I would like examples, please.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC).

"Rheingold recognizes that there is something wrong with [people being frightened by the reintroduction of tribal social relations], but does not delve any deeper into this crucial conceptual problem." Is the fact that it is so open exclusively the reason he does not delve into this question?

"pretending to be somebody else is an apparently inseparable part of virtual communities, a whole new ballgame". What are the conditions that categorizes someone as 'trying to be somebody else'? I do not feel as if I am trying to be someone else online, unless I am missing something, or not aware of what I am specifically doing to do this.

"We are now threatened with the 'selling of democracy'." Capitalocracy as I would like to call it (my term). Where have you seen this? I've seen it in the government, especially in congress, and other places of high status/wealth. I've also seen it in politics... capitalism taken to a new level, eh?

http://www.nationofchange.org/selling-american-democracy-perfect-storm-1342272391

What is the next step for CMC, if there is one?

Out there question: What if climate change changed our way of life and put us in a more, survival-based lifestyle. Would internet usage change? Would it evolve to fit our new lifestyle? What changes do you see to the internet as we know it now, if this were to happen?