Is the Internet really a game changer?

I realize the irony of putting this topic out for discussion online, but that's kinda the point of this one.

I've spent three of the past six weekends at various provincial AGM's - for ArtsLink NB, the Union of NB Municipalities, and Music NB weekend. At home, normally I'm on the organizational side of events, so it's been interesting to be a fly-on-the-wall at these meetings.

A few observations:

1. It's increasingly important to speak both English and French or at least have a decent working knowledge of both official languages.  Especially in the cultural sector, because the Acadian community is so organized and we in Anglo NB have much to learn from them.

2. The biggest challenges to our successes in NB - regardless of industry - are geography and communication.  It's extremely difficult to keep people in the loop, even with today's social networks and communication technology, in a province where people are so spread out.

Add to that the fact that most people go about their day-to-day routines trying to block out excess information in our media-saturated environment, and the result is that people who have common economic or organizational interests are frequently isolated from each other.

3. On the other hand, finding information is easier than ever, for people who go looking.  This means that challenging official narratives and information - shale gas being an important case in point - is being done more frequently.

At these events, I am often the only person from rural western New Brunswick. Sometimes I find people from the cities have a tendency to explain things to me that I am already aware of, because I read it online.  I read a lot online, mostly because I am too endlessly fascinated by how the world works to quit.

Sometimes I would like to tell these people that "we have the same Internet in Woodstock."

This leads me to wonder: is the internet really a game changer?  ie. Will having access to lots of information really help people in rural areas and small towns be more self-sufficient, better citizens, and create thriving centers of cultural and economic innovation?

Or is it the old maxim "it's not what you know, it's who you know" still true?

I have to admit, I feel like meeting two or three good new contacts accomplishes a lot more than being alone in a room, reading a screen.

I can see how people want to share information and work together, and the internet does facilitate those kinds of collaborations.  However, I don't think it can ever replace the social ties and weak social capital that come from random encounters with colleagues (I met someone I'd been trying to meet in an elevator at one of the conferences - finally) or being in the same room when a major announcement is made.

Does the internet help us build communities based on common interests?  Or does it just isolate us more?