Videoconferencing and online chat are becoming social necessities in Baghdad. Internet access is increasing rapidly, even with restrictions on electricity and broadband. It will be interesting to see what happens with online interactions once the country becomes safer (eventually). If incorporated into business and social life, virtual relationships will support economic diversification and increase the use of Arabic on the internet.  

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - In the endless daily battle against the fear and isolation of life under lock-down, the people of Baghdad have found a way to keep their city alive: moving it online.

Instead of enjoying an outdoor meal at one of the fish restaurants along the Tigris embankment, 28-year-old housewife Dunya Saad spends her evenings at the computer in her living room, chatting with her friends on Yahoo! Messenger.

Most of her relatives and friends live on the far side of the Tigris, and seeing them in person is nearly impossible.

"It's sad not to see your friends like in the good old days," she sighed. "But online chatting has made things better."

Since the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra sparked a wave of sectarian bloodshed, the Internet has gone from being a hobby for tech-savvy enthusiasts to a mass replacement for the daily interactions of city life.

In locked-down Baghdad, city life moves online | In Depth | Reuters.com.