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I was tempted to start out by saying something like, 'Gee Mozart was great, but think what he would have done with the help of the Internet to link him with all of the other composers, musicians, and instrument makers in the world?' However, I'm not sure he would have massively benefited from being able to connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime. The same goes for Picasso, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, or any of the other grandmasters of various arts. William Shakespeare was a genius who created one thousand seven hundred new words, one in ten of all the words he used. Hard to imagine such a genius being helped much by being connected with the rest of the world's writers.

However, I think the inverse is true. Think of what being connected with other writers of the world (including William Shakespeare) would have done to help writers of that era. Imagine a young woman, ten years younger than Shakespeare, living in a tiny village in Ireland. She had a true shining gift for plot and description which could have made her one of the great writers of her age. Sadly, she didn't have an understanding of character motivation. So she lived, struggled with character motivation, died, and was forgotten. She would have benefited greatly from being able to go into a chat room and then talking to William Shakespeare about creating well-rounded characters. If they'd had the Internet, any number of failed sixteenth century writers might have learnt how to overcome their weaknesses and written excellent plays, enriching the world some fraction of the amount Shakespeare did. Even if they didn't talk to William Shakespeare, they could have discussed writing with a broad range of other writers from all over Europe. Assuming they possessed some talent, they could have found someone who was strong in the areas that they were weak in, and have helped others who were weak in areas they were gifted in.

Thankfully we have the Internet. Online chat rooms and writing forums allow would-be authors anywhere to talk to experienced writers and make friends with other aspiring writers. A young woman in the smallest village in Norway, hours away from the nearest person with any serious thought of being a writer, can talk to other writers everyday. Aspiring songwriters can talk to other composers, painters to other artists. Anyone can talk to the leading expert in their field (if she will give them a few minutes of her time) without long trips by coach or car, or arranging an appointment many weeks ahead of time.

Hopefully with this ease of connecting with anyone, anywhere, anytime, and the broad support gained through connecting, people who have the potential to be geniuses will be encouraged. They may grow into another Shakespeare, another Mozart, or another Michelangelo.