College Students and Their Dependence on Technology
Your might often listen to your parents recant stories from their college years when students waited in long lines for hours just to schedule their courses. Payphones were used to call friends from the bar. The total cost for books in a single semester was $75 bucks. Composing research papers required hours in the library and additional hours in the campus computer lab. Today, you have the convenience of selecting your classes online in minutes. You can text or "Facebook" your plans en masse with the touch of a phone. A bundle of textbooks cost as much as your first car – even though you bought them at half price on eBay. Research papers can be completed on a laptop in the amount of time it takes CW to air two episodes of Gossip Girl.
If you don’t have an up-to-date cell phone, computer or iPod, you’re stuck in the technological dark ages. Advancements in technology have changed our society drastically during the past 20 to 30 years. Stroll around campus and you’ll notice every other student chatting on their cell phone. In class, most students use a laptop to take notes and check the latest status updates on Facebook. The sound of keypads clicking and cell phones vibrating are the norm while the professor delivers an important lecture – at least according to her. While these new methods of communication have made life much easier for the new generation, they have also made life a bit more difficult. It has become excessive, and almost a classifiable addiction.
Symptoms of addiction generally include the need to engage in the behavior at an increasing rate, the inability to cut down on the behavior, mood changing withdrawals when separated from the addictive substance, and the altering of normal plans of activity – such as work – so the addict can get his or her "high." Your average college student probably exhibits many of these signs. The result is decreased real-life interaction with professors and friends that limits their ability to learn and have real fun. Students might attend class less because they can get the notes from the course website. That causes them miss out on important class discussions and interaction with their peers. They might choose to spend their lunch chatting to five different friends on the internet instead of eating with their best friend at the local sandwich shop.
Real life experience can never be substituted for technology, which has created information overload. Many students find they live a more fulfilling life when they learn to filter it out. Limit your hours on the internet and social networking sites in particular. Go to class, listen to the lecture and ask challenging questions about the topic. Put down the phone and actually socialize with your friends face-to-face. Turn off the TIVO and jog around campus. Make things simple again. With these measures, you’re sure to keep your sanity and fully enjoy your college experience.
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