Bringing Meaning to Internet Chatter

People endlessly chatter online about their cats, who's hot and who's not, whether a politician should be revered or reviled, and a million other things. But what does it all mean? Can Internet posts be used to tell us meaningful things about ourselves and the society we live in. One author says yes. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Is the Internet a reflection of our habits, preferences and beliefs, or is it more like a Fun House Mirror?

•How are online anonymous online messages the truth? How are they not the truth?

•Why can we see things in the aggregate (macro) that we really can't see on a case-by-case (micro) basis?

•Does the Internet make political dialogue more polarized and angry, or are other factors causing this?