My research has given me fascinating insight into the minds of my peers and their Internet use. While college students are significantly more vulnerable to Internet addiction, my survey indicates that students occupy their time with many other activities on a daily basis. This shows that as college students, we are more productive and involved than people might think. As the Internet does serve as a huge part of our generation’s primary form of communication, it does not define our generation. One of the main attractive qualities of the Internet is fast communication, whether it is with our friends, family or professors, it allows students to be as efficient as possible with such busy schedules.
As much as the Internet is used for academics and research, it is equally used as a means of relaxation and entertainment from the stress and demands of college life. I found it interesting that Anderson (2001) pointed out that a very small percentage of Internet users actually perceive their use as having a negative impact on their lives when 41.5 % of students in my survey reported that they managed their Internet usage time fairly poorly. This is supported by Young’s study (1996) which observes dependent and non-dependent internet users. Dependent users showed personal, family and job related issues while non-dependent users reported having poor time management. In addition to this, I found that 50.8% of students go online for 2-3 hours each day upon doing homework.
There are various reasons why the Internet is such an important part of our generation. It allows for social communication, news/media sharing, research, job networking, and provides an escape. However, as college students it often becomes difficult to manage our time wisely when we have hectic schedules. But despite this, students are mostly aware that the Internet can be extremely distracting and a huge time sucker. It helps that students are conscious of this because being aware vs. being oblivious is what can lead to an addiction. As with anything in life, everything should be used in moderation in order to avoid all problems.
As the Internet is continuing to evolve, it is important to realize that our social norms and behaviors mold around these changes. Throughout the quarter our class has discussed how technology has created both helpful and damaging effects to human interaction and lifestyle. However it is important to note that, it is not the advancements of technology alone that cause us to become more reliant on things such as the Internet and cell phones, but rather it is society’s acceptance and promotion of these products that allow for it. For the Internet to become so successful, society had to let go of its old way of thinking in order to allow new attitudes that would support the integration of the Internet into everyday life.