Internet - The Flagship of Global English?

INTRODUCTION The advent and spread of the Internet probably constitute the most important event of the end of the 20 th century and the beginning of the new millenium. Indeed, nowadays, the whole humanity has at its disposal an exceptional, very powerful medium. The new communications technology is causing a revolution in many aspects of our lives, and its future effects are still unforeseeable. The Internet is changing our way of working, studying, shopping, carrying out business and financial transactions, but principally it is causing a revolution in the way we communicate with other people. Communication through the Globe has never been so easy, cheap and full of contents and, above all, within everyone’s grasp. In the cyberspace 1 , the virtual space of the 1 Expression invented by Gibson (1984). It derives from the Greek word “kubernao”, which means “government”, “use of the helm”, “control”. The word is currently used to describe the whole range of information resources available through computer networks. “Cyber” as a prefix is now used as a description of a range of activities. A cybernaut is a person who cruises through online services and