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Abstract
The discovery and use of the Internet has fundamentally changed both the way we communicate and our lifestyle. In addition to the special benefits that the Internet offers us, there are also some undesirable effects associated with the use of the virtual environment, effects that must be known very well in order to take measures to eliminate or, at least, to reduce them. The fulminate development of information technology and computerization have contributed decisively to the realization of the digitization of communication. Currently, interpersonal and intercommunity communication takes place mainly in the virtual environment, using email and social networks. The virtual environment offers infinite possibilities for storing and transferring data and information both for intercommunity communication and for carrying out scientific research, education, social and medical insurance, production of goods and services. It is estimated that the association of digital communication with artificial intelligence will have a great impact on our existence both in terms of opportunities and undesirable effects. This estimate should be considered a warning that should urge us to be cautious and to carefully and responsibly analyze the situations we face in order to avoid and counteract possible risks and threats.
Keywords: digitalization, information technology, communication.
1. INTRODUCTION
We live in the era of non-stop dialogue (Stanciu, 2020), an era in which communication is the cause of all the evils that happen to us but also the source of solving them. (Georgescu, 2018) We enjoy the advantages of the digital transformation of communication offered by information technology but, at the same time, we must fight a continuous battle for the truth (Buluc. 2018; Edelman, 2018) because communication facilities can be used by both people of good faith and people with bad intentions who try to manipulate us, misinform, deceive, etc. to achieve their personal and/or group goals. (Willemo, 2019; Price, 2015)
The digitization and digitalization of communication have influenced, mainly beneficially, the way of interpersonal and intercommunity relationships, greatly stimulating people's desire to know, to be better informed and to produce goods and services faster, cheaper and less polluting.
Until a few decades ago, people were informed by consulting the classic mass media - printed newspapers, respectively radio and television shows. Currently, the classic mass media are in decline, while...